Patriots Insider Believes Josh McDaniels Will See Bears As Attractive Spot

At the very least, the Chicago Bears will be searching for a new head coach this coming offseason. Matt Nagy failed in the one objective George McCaskey put before him last January. To show team progress after a disappointing 8-8 finish in 2020. Now the Bears will end up either 6-11 or 7-10 following their game in Minnesota. Speculation is already rampant on who might replace him. Probably one of the hottest names is Josh McDaniels. Most people should know him by now. He's been the New England Patriots offensive coordinator for many years. He is widely viewed as one of the brightest minds in the league. Somebody capable of adapting and changing his offense to fit the strengths of his players. Especially the quarterbacks. All one has to do is look at the work he's done the past two years, first with Cam Newton and now with rookie Mac Jones. The guy in many ways is the complete antithesis to Nagy.

What many aren't sure about is whether he can lead a locker room.

Everybody remembers his ugly stint in Denver. How he immediately alienated quarterback Jay Cutler and saw his team endure multiple controversies. Not to mention a brutal collapse his first season, going from 6-0 to 8-8. People around the league though believe McDaniels has matured since then. He was 32 at the time and trying too hard to be Bill Belichick rather than himself. He's had over a decade to mature and is ready for another chance. Patriots insider Jeff Howe of The Athletic believes this offseason might be his best opportunity to get a second head coaching job. Most would say the Jacksonville Jaguars with #1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence are the obvious destination. Howe isn't so sure. He believes McDaniels might look elsewhere on the market. One team that will likely garner his attention is the Bears.

"As it relates to McDaniels’ work with Jones, the Jaguars (Lawrence) and Bears (Fields) should strongly consider the offensive-minded coach to lead their most recent draft investment. Conversely, McDaniels must also be drawn to the organization. For example, the Jaguars have the most hyped quarterback prospect in a decade, but they haven’t proven that they’re capable of consistently contending for a Super Bowl under owner Shad Khan. The Bears and Seahawks might be more attractive destinations."

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Josh McDaniels might be a big fan of Justin Fields

Albert Breer of the MMQB mentioned as much a few weeks back. He said the Patriots offensive coordinator evaluated the Ohio State standout closely leading up to the draft. In terms of pure physical talent, Fields would probably be the most gifted McDaniels has ever worked with. For those concerned whether he might make the same mistakes Nagy did, a GM from another organization was quick to squash that.

“(McDaniels) knows exactly what his quarterback is, and he tailors the offense to that quarterback,” the general manager said. “He doesn’t ask him to do anything he can’t do. He’s relatable. He knows how to talk to these guys, how to teach these guys. If you put him in front of a room of 53 players, he can talk to them as well. He’s got enough knowledge and presence. I think he’d be an excellent (head) coach.”

They say a head coach has to elevate the entire football organization. This is true, but in the case of the Bears, it remains the same thing that continues holding them back. In 2013 they had the 8th overall offense in the NFL. Since then it has been nothing but pain.

• 21st
• 21st
• 15th
• 30th
• 21st
• 29th
• 26th
• 28th*

It's hard to win in the NFL when you can't move the ball or score points with any regularity. For context, the Bears have a winning record in four of their previous five seasons when they finished 15th or better in scoring.

Their failures are far less complicated than people think.

This is why Josh McDaniels is such an attractive option from their perspective. His offenses have finished 8th or better in scoring across 12 different seasons. With three different quarterbacks. This guy knows exactly what he is doing. Give him a talent like Fields with some decent weapons and the points should follow.