The Chicago Bears will not be able to discuss the head coaching position with Mike McCarthy since the Dallas Cowboys refused to give them permission to do so, reports ESPN.
The Cowboys have exclusive negotiating rights with McCarthy until Jan. 14, after which he would be free to offer his services to another team.
For their part, the Bears have been looking for their new confidence man since they fired Matt Eberflus in the middle of the season, on December 3.
After the 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders to end Dallas’ season, owner Jerry Jones continued to praise McCarthy’s merits, without compromising on his contractual future with the club.
For his part, McCarthy said he “absolutely” wanted to return to the helm of the Cowboys, having posted a record of 49-35 in the regular season since his arrival, and 1-3 in playoff games.
Due to its 7-10 record, the Texan team has just missed the post-season meeting for the first time since 2020, McCarthy’s first season in Dallas.
McCarthy’s 174 NFL wins rank 13th in history. He led the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018, and won six National Division North titles, in addition to Super Bowl 45, at the end of the 2010 season.
Brian Flores is looking for interviews
Brian Flores paused while reflecting on his NFL journey to clarify how much he enjoyed his experience as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.
“It’s been fantastic here in Minnesota. So it would have to be the right situation for me and my family to leave,” Flores said, of a head coaching job elsewhere in the NFL.
He will not, however, impose any of his own conditions in the research process. Flores said during his weekly news conference with reporters Tuesday that he would accept every interview request offered to him this winter.
“I plan to sit down and have conversations with any team that is interested in talking to me about a head coaching position,” Flores said. I can’t wait to tell people about my football journey, and when that time comes, I will. »
His candidacy is more complicated than most, due to the federal lawsuit he filed against the league nearly three years ago, after the Miami Dolphins fired him following three seasons as head coach. Flores, who is African-American, has called out racist hiring practices for executive positions in the NFL.
“It’s no different for me than any other interview in any other industry. In my opinion, will the atmosphere, the energy, the connection constitute a winning environment? There are a lot of people involved in this and you need synergy, so I’m also looking for that type of synergy,” Flores said.
Six teams are currently seeking a head coach: the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets.
According to ESPN, the Bears and Jets have requested an interview with Flores. The Jaguars announced a list of eight targeted candidates, but Flores was not among them. When asked about the Patriots, Flores acknowledged there was interest in returning to his original team.
“Any time you’re mentioned in those head coaching conversations or you get requests, it’s an honor. I certainly don’t take this lightly. […] But I’m also quite proud of being able to compartmentalize and prioritize the different things that are happening in my life, Flores said. I think everyone in this profession does the same thing, because we all have a lot of different things going on, and this is part of it. »
