With two games to go, the Bears have made no public disclosures of their plans for coach Matt Nagy. But privately, they seem to know which direction they’re headed.
According to multiple sources, Chicago appears primed to have a new head coach for the 2022 season and is expected to begin its search for Nagy’s successor after Week 18.
Nagy, who has a 33-30 record heading into the final two games of the regular season, said this week that he was under the assumption he will be able to coach through Week 18. That should be the case. As an organization, the Bears rarely make rash moves during the season, with George McCaskey wanting to see the final product.
After that, the Bears brass will hold discussions, and the likely outcome is that they will move on from Nagy, sources say. According to those in the building, Nagy has been business as usual, not making his future a major topic of conversation and focusing only on his team closing out the season the right way. There are factors he can handle, and factors he can’t, and he has been focused on those that he can.
When he’s met with the owners, it’s been under his normal course of action as head coach, not in any way focused on his future.
But the eventuality of the situation is not lost on any of the participants. Nagy’s associates and others close to him sound resigned to an unhappy ending to his Bears tenure. Nagy went to the playoffs and finished 12-4 in his first season, but that was followed by two 8-8 campaigns and this year’s 5-10 mark thus far.
Nagy also presided over an uncertain and underwhelming quarterback situation, with the final three years of Mitchell Trubisky and the rookie year of promising quarterback Justin Fields, who was learning on the job. That said, all parties know the final responsibilities lie with the head coach.
