(670 The Score) Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll had an interview with the Bears on Thursday for their head coaching position, the team announced.
Carroll, 73, parted ways with the Seahawks following the 2023 season, his 14th and final year in Seattle, and is now looking to get back on the sideline. He's allowed to have in-person interviews with interested organizations given that he isn't currently employed by a team, but all of the Bears' first round of interviews are set to be conducted virtually, according to reports.
Carroll is one of the most accomplished head football coaches of the 21st century. He's one of three individuals in history to win a college national championship and Super Bowl title as a head coach.
Carroll was 97-19 in leading USC from 2001-’09. He then accepted the Seahawks’ head coaching job in 2010 and went 137-89-1 (.606 winning percentage) in Seattle. Carroll led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl XLVIII championship in February 2014. He directed Seattle to the playoffs in 10 of his 14 seasons at the helm.
Prior to his hiring at USC, Carroll was 6-10 as head coach of the Jets in 1994 and was 27-21 over three seasons leading the Patriots from 1997-’99.
The Bears have a head coach opening after firing Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29. That marked the first ever in-season firing of a head coach in franchise history.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles – who has been retained for a fourth season in his position – is considered the “point man” in this coaching search, team president/CEO Kevin Warren said.
Poles will be joined in the search process by Warren, chairman George McCaskey, senior director of player personnel Jeff King, director of football administration Matt Feinstein and chief human resources officer Liz Geist. The Bears may also include members of their senior leadership team in the interview process. Eleven individuals hold titles of executive vice president or senior vice president.
The Bears have stated their intention to conduct a wide-ranging coaching search. Poles began the process shortly after firing Eberflus, starting by gathering background information and making phone calls to gather intel on potential candidates.
“We're looking for clear vision, a developmental mindset, really good game management and obviously a plan to develop a quarterback is going to be a key part of that as well,” Poles said. “We're going to cast a wide net. It's going to be a diverse group. This will be different backgrounds from offense, defense, special teams, college, pro. We're turning every stone to make sure we're doing this the right way.
“There's going to be some names that you don't expect, that are going to surprise you because we’re digging deeper than we ever have before. In terms of timing, we're going to move with urgency, but we're not going to rush the process.
“We want it to be a sound process.”
Carroll is the fourth candidate the Bears have interviewed as of late Thursday afternoon. They also interviewed former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on X @CEmma670.