Players Reportedly Swung The Bears' Decision On Matt Eberflus

The Chicago Bears spent 48 hours after the end of the regular season in what was described as "tense" discussions about the state of the franchise. By far, the most pressing was the coaching staff. Head coach Matt Eberflus has an improved 7-10 record from the previous year, but a lot of concerns presented themselves. One was the inability to finish several games where they held double-digit leads in the 4th quarter. Another was the continued ineptitude of the passing game despite clear upgrades on the roster.

Many people felt the best thing to do was reset everything. With a new quarterback likely coming in, GM Ryan Poles should bring in a fresh coaching staff to develop him. That isn't what happened. The announcement came down that Eberflus would be retained, and the Bears were shaking up their offensive coaching staff. People couldn't understand the logic of the decision. It put the team in the same situation that Matt Nagy was in two years ago when they drafted Fields.

It turns out the locker room swayed things. According to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, player exit interviews illustrated how much love and respect Eberflus had earned.

Matt Eberflus clearly has a firm grip on the locker room.

That much was evident from how they finished the season. Remember, this team started 2023 with a 0-4 record, punctuated by an epic collapse at home against Denver, where they coughed up a 28-7 lead. Most coaches would've crumbled after that. Eberflus did not. The Bears responded with a thorough 40-20 beatdown of the Washington Commanders the next week. They would go on to finish 7-6 down the stretch. If not for two other ugly collapses, it would've been 9-5. While the season wasn't perfect, Eberflus earned the player's respect.

He did this through open communication, a clear vision, and refusing to buckle under pressure. His message never changed. If guys adhered to what he was teaching, the wins would come. Matt Eberflus proved correct. Guys are bought in. They sense something building. A new offensive staff coupled with another infusion of talent this off-season can put the Bears in a position to finally make a run at the NFC North crown. Stuff like that meant something to the team brass. So, the decision was made to keep the head coach.