NFL coaching and GM tracker: Bears’ Declan Doyle to interview with Eagles — and Al Harris talks to Packers
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle enters the field before a game against the 49ers on Dec. 28, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
By Sean Hammond | shammond@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune and Brad Biggs | bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: January 22, 2026 at 9:49 AM CST
The NFL saw a record-tying 10 head coaching openings this month. The Buffalo Bills joined the ranks this week by firing coach Sean McDermott after a loss in the divisional playoffs.
As of Wednesday, four teams have found new coaches. The New York Giants hired former Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh; the Atlanta Falcons hired former Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski; the Miami Dolphins hired Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley; and the Tennessee Titans hired San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
The remaining openings are with the Bills, Ravens, Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers.
With their success under first-year coach Ben Johnson, the Chicago Bears were happy to be talking about the playoffs this month rather than the hiring cycle.
But each new hire still could affect the Bears. NFL teams love to hire head coaches and coordinators from successful teams, and at 11-6 the NFC North champion Bears would qualify.
Johnson on Wednesday acknowledged that several of his assistant coaches already have received interview requests.
“I told the players this just a week or two ago, that it’s rare in Year 1 that you feel like you have a five-star staff, and yet that’s what I believe,” Johnson said. “Over the course of the season, seeing how they conducted themselves, what they sacrificed, the time they put in — we’ve got a great collection of coaches.
“It’s the right mix of experience, energy, ideas, and so I think they’re a big reason for the success that we were able to have and the games we were able to win. I see future head coaches on this staff, I see future coordinators.”
Here’s the latest NFL hiring news that could be of interest to Bears fans.
Thursday: Eagles have requested an interview with Bears OC Declan Doyle
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle talks to tight ends Colston Loveland (84) and Cole Kmet before a game against the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Doyle is a candidate for the offensive coordinator vacancy in Philadelphia, according to multiple reports. He just completed his first season as the Bears coordinator after previously worked on Sean Payton’s coaching staffs in Denver and New Orleans.
While Ben Johnson called plays for the Bears this season, Doyle did a lot of important work behind the scenes.
“(Doyle’s) done a phenomenal job this year,” Johnson said last week about his first-year coordinator. “He’s everything I thought he was going to be and some. He’s got tremendous presence in front of the players. Extremely smart. He’s picked up the offense quickly throughout the spring and camp and has been able to augment it.”
Although Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has an offensive background, he typically lets his coordinator call plays on game day. For any young coach with head coaching aspirations, calling plays is a big next step — and that could be enticing for Doyle.
The Eagles also interviewed former Bears coach Matt Nagy for the job.
Wednesday: Bears DBs coach/passing game coordinator Al Harris has interest from two teams
Bears defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Al Harris celebrates with players late in the game against the Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Harris interviewed with the Packers on Wednesday for their defensive coordinator position, according to ESPN. That job opened when Jeff Hafley departed to become coach of the Dolphins.
Harris has deep ties to the Packers as a member of the team’s Hall of Fame after spending seven of the 14 seasons in his playing career in Green Bay.
Harris’ detailed approach to teaching defensive backs what to expect ahead of time helped the Bears lead the NFL with 23 interceptions and 33 takeaways.
A source said Harris also is expected to interview with the Washington Commanders for their defensive coordinator job. Harris worked with Commanders coach Dan Quinn in Dallas for three seasons. The team is looking to replace Joe Whitt Jr., who was fired after the season.
Wednesday: Bears RBs coach Eric Bieniemy is set to become the Chiefs offensive coordinator, NFL Network reported
Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy talks to D'Andre Swift and his fellow running backs as the team warms up for a game against the Vikings on Nov. 16, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Bieniemy will resume a role he held in Kansas City from 2018-22. In his lone season on Ben Johnson’s staff, the Bears went from 25th in the league in rushing in 2024 (102 yards per game) to No. 3 (144.5 ypg).
This is the second time Bieniemy will succeed Matt Nagy as Chiefs offensive coordinator. When Nagy took the Bears head coaching job in 2018, the Chiefs promoted Bieniemy from running backs coach.
Nagy had returned to Kansas City as Andy Reid’s offensive coordinator for the last three seasons, but with his contract expired, the Chiefs are reuniting with Bieniemy.
Wednesday: Bears to hire Boston College’s Will Lawing, BC coach Bill O’Brien saysO’Brien told local media in Boston that Lawing, his offensive coordinator, is leaving the school for a job on Ben Johnson’s staff in Chicago.
It’s unclear what Lawing’s role will be for the Bears. Lawing and Johnson played college football together at North Carolina from 2004-07.
Lawing has coached with O’Brien for a decade, including college stops at Penn State and Alabama and NFL stops with the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. Lawing has experience as an offensive assistant and as a tight ends coach.
Wednesday: Falcons to interview Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham after hiring Matt Ryan as president of football
Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham walks on the field before a game against the Cowboys on Sept. 21, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Cunningham will interview for the Falcons general manager role, according to reports Wednesday.
One of the first moves Bears GM Ryan Poles made when he took over football operations at Halas Hall in January 2022 was to hire Cunningham as his No. 2. Cunningham previously worked in the Ravens and Eagles front offices.
Earlier this month, Cunningham interviewed for Atlanta’s president of football position, but the job went to Ryan, the former MVP quarterback. The Falcons are looking for a GM who would report to Ryan. Ryan and Poles played college football together at Boston College, so Ryan knows whom to call for a recommendation regarding Cunningham.
That could be notable for the Bears if the NFL determines the Falcons GM job is not what the league calls the team’s “primary football executive” role. The NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates, rewards teams with compensatory draft picks if another team hires away a minority candidate for its top executive or head coaching job.
In this case, the NFL might consider Ryan the primary football executive in Atlanta and the Bears might not receive any compensation if they were to lose Cunningham.
Cunningham has interviewed for GM positions for several years. He was a finalist a year ago for the Jacksonville Jaguars job, a reported finalist for the Commanders job in 2024 and turned down the Cardinals job in 2023, among other interviews.
Wednesday: Matt Nagy misses out on Titans head coaching job
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy celebrates after a touchdown against the Bears on Sept. 24, 2023, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Former Bears coach Nagy was a finalist for the Titans job, but they went in a different direction and reportedly are set to hire former Jets coach Robert Saleh.
Saleh most recently served as the 49ers defensive coordinator after leading the Jets from 2021-24.
Nagy was considered a front-runner for the Titans job because he had experience working with Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, who spent 15 years in the Chiefs front office.
NFL Network reported Wednesday that Nagy interviewed for the Eagles offensive coordinator vacancy. Nagy has been the OC under Andy Reid for the last three seasons in Kansas City (as well as from 2016-17), but Reid calls the plays for the Chiefs offense.
Jan. 6: Falcons request interview with Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham
Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, left, and general manager Ryan Poles walk the field before the team faced the Ravens on Oct. 26, 2025, in Baltimore. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Ryan Poles’ right-hand man is once again a candidate for an NFL GM job. The Falcons, who fired GM Terry Fontenot along with coach Raheem Morris on Sunday, have requested an interview with Cunningham, per multiple reports.
Cunningham has interviewed with numerous teams for GM jobs over the past few hiring cycles. A year ago he interviewed for the Titans job and was one of five finalists for the Jaguars job. In 2024, he was reportedly a finalist for the Commanders job.
Cunningham, a former college offensive lineman like Poles, has been in his role as Bears assistant GM since 2022. He was one of Poles’ first hires after taking over as Bears GM, and the two have worked side by side ever since. The Bears signed Cunningham to a contract extension in 2024.
Before joining the Bears, Cunningham worked in the front offices of the Eagles (2017-21) and Ravens (2008-16). He was a part of Super Bowl titles with both franchises.
The Falcons reportedly are considering hiring former quarterback and league MVP Matt Ryan as their new president of football. Poles and Ryan played college football together at Boston College, so Ryan wouldn’t have to look far for a recommendation for Cunningham.
Jan. 6: Cowboys fire former Bears coach Matt Eberflus
Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus stands on the sideline during the second half against the Eagles on Sept. 4, 2025. (Elías Valverde II/Dallas Morning News)
The Dallas Cowboys fired Eberflus as their defensive coordinator Tuesday. The former Bears coach lasted just one season under Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer.
The Cowboys defense was among the worst in the NFL in 2025, ranking 30th in total yards allowed and 32nd against the pass. It didn’t help that the team traded star pass rusher Micah Parsons just days before the season.
The Bears fired Eberflus on Nov. 29, 2024, one day after a stunning Thanksgiving Day loss in Detroit. Eberflus went 14-32 as the Bears coach.
He reunited last January with the Cowboys, with whom he coached linebackers from 2011-17. But his second stint in Dallas was short-lived.
Jan. 6: Former Bears coach Matt Nagy to interview with Cardinals, Raiders, Titans
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy walks the sideline during a preseason game against the Jaguars on Aug. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Another former Bears coach is in the news during this hiring cycle. Nagy, currently the Chiefs offensive coordinator, will interview for at least three head coaching jobs — the Cardinals, Raiders and Titans — according to NFL Network.
Nagy coached the Bears from 2018-21, amassing a 34-31 regular-season record with two playoff appearances. He returned to the Chiefs as senior assistant and quarterbacks coach in 2022 and was promoted to offensive coordinator a year later.
Nagy interviewed for the Jets head coaching job last year but lost out to former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Nagy is very familiar with Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, who worked in the Chiefs front office for more than 15 years — including as assistant GM from 2021-24 — before landing the Titans GM job a year ago. The Titans were the first team to fire their coach this season when they let Brian Callahan go in October.
Nagy never has worked with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, but Brady did reveal years later that Nagy and the Bears were a “stealth” contender for his services when Brady was a free agent in 2020 after leaving the Patriots. |
