By Michael Silver, Kevin Fishbain and Zach Powell
As the Chicago Bears continue searching for the franchise’s 19th head coach, the Bears’ pursuit is continuing to expand. The Bears are set to interview Tennessee State coach and former NFL star Eddie George in person for the job on Sunday, according to a source briefed on the situation.
George will serve as the third candidate to interview in person this week as Chicago continues ramping up its search. Chicago recently contacted the Pittsburgh Steelers, inquiring about longtime coach Mike Tomlin, but the Steelers shut down the request. On Wednesday, the Bears completed in-person interviews with former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
George, 51, was hired by Tennessee State in 2021 as the Tigers’ 22nd coach. George holds a 24-22 record over four seasons and led the HBCU to a 9-4 record this past season, including an FCS playoff appearance and a Big South/Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year award.
A Heisman Trophy-winning running back at Ohio State, George was drafted in the first round by the Houston Oilers and earned Rookie of the Year honors before the franchise moved to Tennessee. George made a Super Bowl appearance and four Pro Bowls with the Titans, played for the Cowboys in 2004 and officially retired in 2006.
George and Bears have prior relationship
At the start of the search, Bears general manager Ryan Poles said, “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.” George would fit that category.
There’s some familiarity with the Bears and George, who spent time with the team in 2023 as part of the Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship.
“I actually had Eddie speak to our football team last week, him being a future Hall of Famer and the experiences that he has,” former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said during 2023 OTAs. “Really our guys gleaned a lot of information from him and constantly are asking him questions. So that’s been pretty cool to have him around.”
George does have head-coaching experience at the college level and was a star player in the NFL, but it would be quite the jump to taking over the Bears.
George’s in-person interview does mean the Bears have satisfied the Rooney Rule, allowing them to hire a head coach at any time. With Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson available to take a job this week, the timing is notable.
With the Bears having now interviewed 17 coaches, they could be gleaning information for future staff, too. If George isn’t ready for a head-coaching job, maybe there would be another opportunity for him. — Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer
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(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
