One Scary Connection Between Pat Fitzgerald And The Bears

Pat Fitzgerald is becoming one of the hot names in heading coaching circles for the 2021 cycle. That isn't a huge surprise. The work he's done for Northwestern over the past 15 seasons is pretty impressive. Despite limited reach in terms of talent, the head coach has routinely made the program competitive. Already the Green Bay Packers tried to interview him last year and word is the New York Jets are interested as well. Thus far the general belief is he isn't likely to accept such offers. Both because he's happy where he is but also because there is one job he is holding out for. The Chicago Bears. They're his hometown team. The Orland Park-native grew up watching them. If Northwestern was his college dream job, then the Bears would be his NFL equivalent. Smoke has picked up considerably in recent weeks as the fate of Matt Nagy becomes more certain. A belief Fitzgerald would take the job if offered.

What nobody is sure about is whether the Bears are interested.

CBS insider Jason La Canfora reported they are. That the coach is at the top of their wishlist. This is somewhat difficult to believe given La Canfora's dubious track record of insider reporting. That said it isn't a hard stretch to imagine the McCaskey family would know about Fitzgerald given his close proximity to Chicago. However, it is possible there is a driving force within the organization spurring a push for Fitzgerald. One Bears fans most definitely don't want to hear about. One who has connections to the university. That is team president Ted Phillips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdhSZTaWgyU&ab_channel=schlegdaddytv

Phillips could be pushing Bears to pursue Pat Fitzgerald

Phillips is an alumnus of Northwestern. That alone is strong enough evidence to make one think he'd be a driving force behind the idea of hiring Fitzgerald. Obviously, Phillips isn't the most popular figure these days. He's overseen this franchise since 1999. During his tenure, the team has made the playoffs just five times. Now it feels like his job might be in jeopardy for the first time. Rumors are circulating George McCaskey could be considering a change and even that Phillips may retire. The reality is nothing has happened yet. It's possible the president may be trying to spearhead an initiative to save himself. What better way to do that than by selling ownership that he can lure in a "big fish" head coach like Fitzgerald. Somebody who has actively turned down the offers of other teams. This is a guy who knows how to build a program. How to produce winners.

This could be a last-ditch hail mary by Phillips to save his job.

It is really the only thing that explains why the Bears, a team that has never hired a head coach straight out of college in their history, would have Pat Fitzgerald at the top of their wishlist. That or it's all classic rumor mill nonsense. Chicago has four games left. It's going to be a rough slog until fans finally start getting some answers to these questions.