Bears interview Tennessee State’s Eddie George for head coaching job

By Michael Silver, Kevin Fishbain and Zach Powell

As the Chicago Bears continue to search for the franchise’s 19th head coach, the Bears’ quest continues to expand. The Bears interviewed Tennessee State coach and former NFL star Eddie George in person for the job on Sunday, the team announced.

George will be the third candidate to interview in person this week as Chicago continues to intensify its search. Chicago recently contacted the Pittsburgh Steelers to inquire about longtime coach Mike Tomlin, but the Steelers ended the request. The Bears conducted in-person interviews with former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and former Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera.

We completed an interview with head coach candidate Eddie George. pic.twitter.com/0Gk6JHJvAx

– Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 19, 2025

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 last season, including an FCS playoff appearance and a Big South Coach of the Year award /Ohio Valley Conference.

A Heisman Trophy wearer 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 one Super Bowl appearance and four Pro Bowls with the Titans, played for the Cowboys in 2004 and officially retired in 2006.

George and Bears once had a relationship

Early in the search, Bears general manager Ryan Poles said, “There are going to be some names that you don’t expect that are going to surprise you because we’re digging deeper than ever before.” » George would fall into this category.

There is 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 asked Eddie to speak to our football team last week about him being a future Hall of Famer and the experiences he has,” said the former head coach of the Bears, Matt Eberflus, during 2023 OTAs. “Our guys have actually gleaned a lot of information from him and are constantly asking him questions. So it’s pretty cool to have him with us.

George has head coaching experience at the college level and has been a star player in the NFL, but it would be quite a jump to take over the Bears.

George’s in-person interview means 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 fill a role this week, the timing is remarkable.

With the Bears now having interviewed 17 coaches, they could also glean some information for future staff. If George isn’t ready for a head coaching job, there might be another opportunity for him. — Bears writer Kevin Fishbain

Required reading

(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)