The Green Bay Packers‘ NFC North rival Chicago Bears are about to make one of the most consequential hires in the history of the franchise.
Thanks in large part to No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams at quarterback, the Bears may just be the right coach away from becoming legitimate contenders in the NFC North.
Chicago, and general manager Ryan Poles hitting this head coaching hire out of the park, after firing Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving, could make the Packers’ road to an eventual NFC North championship and potential Super Bowl run out of the NFC all the more daunting.
Could Mike McCarthy be the Bears’ Next Head Coach?
One name potentially linked to the Bears is current Dallas Cowboys head coach and former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy, of course, helped guide Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to a Super Bowl championship and if Dallas moves in a different direction this offseason could have sights set on trying to repeat that feat with Williams in the Windy City.
“McCarthy also allowed Dak Prescott to have the best individual performance of his career in 2023,” Ferreira writes for AtoZ Sports. “There is a real argument that Prescott should have been the MVP. So with McCarthy, Caleb Williams would have a better shot at developing than he had with Eberflus and Shane Waldron.
“In his first four years with the Cowboys, McCarthy had three 12-win seasons and a playoff win. To find the previous three 12-win seasons in Dallas’ history, you have to go back 12 years. His predecessor Jason Garrett spent 10 years with the Cowboys and won two playoff games, so the postseason failures go well beyond McCarthy.”
While McCarthy’s postseason failings have been well documented, the fact of the matter is that he has made the postseason 12 times in 18 seasons.
Adding another playoff-caliber team to a division poised to send three times to the postseason in 2024 is certainly not ideal for the Packers
McCarthy’s .609 winning percentage, institutional knowledge of the Packers, and his ability to maximize quarterback play could be reasons Green Bay should be hoping the Bears wind up looking elsewhere for their next head coach who will be tasked with developing Williams and transforming Chicago into a contender.
