INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (670 The Score) — The Bears ranked 14th in the NFL Players Association's annual reports cards, which were released Wednesday at the NFL Combine for the 2024 season.
The Bears ranked 10th a year prior, and there was no mystery in why they dropped to 14th this time around. Former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus ranked 32nd among his peers in grades for head coaches.
“The players’ most frequent complaint was with their former head coach Matt Eberflus,” the NFLPA wrote. “The players felt like he lacked a willingness to listen to the players and the players’ leadership council, and he mismanaged the weekly team schedule. After the team completed the survey, the Bears terminated Eberflus and hired Ben Johnson as their new head coach. It will be interesting for the players to see if some of these areas change next year.”
Eberflus was fired by the Bears on Nov. 29, one day after a heartbreaking loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving in Detroit in which Eberflus mismanaged the clock in the final minute. Eberflus received a C grade. The Bears went 5-12 in 2024.
The Bears received high marks for their Halas Hall facilities, which received a considerable renovation back in 2019. Team ownership, led by chairman George McCaskey, received an A- grade, which put them 13th in the owner rankings.
As part of the process to create the report cards, the union surveyed 1,695 current players who “provided information to share with one another about their current club, to not only help them make important career decisions but also help raise standards across the league.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.