Chicago Bears fans can finally exhale, and possibly cry some tears of joy, as Luke Getsy is officially heading out of Halas Hall.
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The Bears have fired their offensive coordinator and multiple members of his staff after struggles over the past couples of seasons. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport broke the news via X.
The #Bears are making staff changes, as offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and members of his staff have been fired, per me and @TomPelissero. Chicago now needs two new coordinators for 2024. pic.twitter.com/qFGdrX9vC7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2024
With Getsy out, the big question on the minds of Bears fans, and surely everyone within the organization, is who might fill that opening. Let's dig into a few candidates to take over as the play caller in one of the league's most interesting offensive situations.
1. Greg Roman
Roman is a particularly attractive option if the Bears decide to stick with Justin Fields rather than opting to draft Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. Roman didn't work for anyone this year after stepping away from the Baltimore Ravens a year ago, but at age 51, he's not done, and will likely be intently looking for his next opportunity.
The reason this is such a good fit if the Bears want to stick with Fields is Roman's experience working with Lamar Jackson, who won an MVP award while he was holding the play sheet. Roman got chased out of town when Baltimore felt that he had hit a ceiling, with consistent regular season success always followed up by an early playoff exit, but this is a very different franchise. If Roman can maximize Fields's athleticism and get the Bears to annual playoff contention with a dynamic offensive system, very few people would complain.
2. Darrell Bevell
Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
This choice is one to consider if the Bears already know they're going to be moving on from Fields and picking up Caleb Williams. Bevell has worked with top quarterbacks like Brett Favre, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence, but those guys all represent very different archetypes than Fields. Some of them can move, but they're more or less downfield pocket passers.
His experience could do wonders for a young talent like Williams, who has the physical ability to work with just about any style of system as long as he's coached well. He's been an offensive coordinator in the past but currently, he's in Miami as the passing game coordinator. He would certainly take what would represent a definitive promotion, and would bring expertise from facilitating one of the league's best vertical passing attacks, the likes of which could be a great fit for Williams.
3. Frank Reich
Let's just address the fact that whether you or I or anyone else thinks it's the best move, the Bears seem to be dead set on retaining Matt Eberflus as the team's head coach, at least for next season. If he's going to have any hand in this hiring, his former head coach from his own coordinator days will be a consideration, after Reich was dumped out of Carolina in year one this season. The two are still friends, and Eberflus might feel inclined to give a coordinator job to the guy who gave him his first position of that title.
Whether or not you believe Reich has the ability to be a good head coach, it's pretty indisputable that he's a heck of an offensive coordinator. He got Carson Wentz up to an MVP level in 2017 before the quarterback's injury, and then re-engineered the offense around Nick Foles en route to a magnificent Super Bowl run. He's never really had a running quarterback, so this could be more of a Williams move than a Fields one, but Reich's winning experience could be valuable no matter who's under center.
4. Joe Brady
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Brady is currently an NFL offensive coordinator, but only in an interim capacity. After the Bills fired Ken Dorsey, they appointed Brady to fill in, marking a step up from his position as quarterbacks coach. If Buffalo is hesitant to pull off the interim label and let Brady lead the offense full time, the Bears should consider jumping at the opportunity to do what Brady's current team won't and hand him the reins to the offense. Brady didn't do an incredible job with this position in Carolina, but let's be honest; the talent was terrible, and the Bears can offer a lot more.
After a couple of down-years, Brady has unlocked Josh Allen to the fullest extent. Buffalo's offense has exploded in recent weeks, especially since Brady has been in full control, and Allen could provide a great blueprint for what to do in Chicago. He's athletic like Fields, and has the big arm and improvisational ability like Williams, but doesn't always have the best processing. Success with him shows a lot about a coordinator, and Brady should be able to maximize either Fields or Williams the same way, just as he did with Joe Burrow in their one year together at LSU.
5. Brian Hartline
Many of the NFL's top coordinators are gunning for head coach jobs already, but that's not the only way to identify talent. We've discussed the fact that Greg Roman was replaced in Baltimore, but let's talk about who took his place. That would be Todd Monken, who at the time of his appointment, was the offensive coordinator of the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs. Now, Baltimore's offense is just about the best in the NFL, in Monken's first year after making the leap straight from college coordinator to the same role in the NFL.
If the Bears want to take a similar approach, they could consider Brian Hartline, Ohio State's offensive coordinator. This hiring works really well if they stick with Fields, who worked with Hartline during his own time as a Buckeye. The benefit applies doubly if Chicago not only keeps Fields at QB, but also brings in Marvin Harrison Jr.from OSU, the top wideout in this year's draft. Hartline has worked with plenty of quarterbacks in Columbus and always produced a competitive offense, so he could provide just the fresh perspective the Bears need
Honorable Mention: Sherrone Moore
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Another college coach who might be less likely to come up would be Sherrone Moore. He's the coordinator for the national champion Michigan Wolverines, who have had some conflict with the Big Ten conference. That's not awesome considering Chicago's team president, Kevin Warren, was recently the conference's commissioner, but if Jim Harbaugh leaves and someone like Brian Kelly is promoted to head coach instead of Moore, he could be on the move.
Moore is a phenomenal football mind, who provided great game plans and made outstanding adjustments in challenging situations as interim head coach for Michigan's wins over Ohio State and Penn State. He's less likely to be available for this job, but he could definitely be an upgrade over Getsy whether the Bears choose Fields or Williams.
