In the NFL to be the best, you’ve gotta beat the best. Or maybe hire them away? That could be the thinking at Halas Hall, as reports have emerged saying the Bears are set to interview both coordinators for the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.
You could say it’s easy designing an offense around Tom Brady and the Bucs’ glut of weapons. But bringing a bunch of superstars together doesn’t always work, and Leftwich has helped Bruce Arians put together one the most complete offenses in the NFL, even with star receiver Chris Godwin missing the end of the season with a torn ACL, and Antonio Brown walking out on the team. As the Bears develop Fields, it wouldn’t hurt having a guy who just worked with Brady either.
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Bowles has already had a crack at being a head coach, with the Jets from 2015-18. It didn’t go well, but honestly what has gone well for the Jets over the past decade? Since then he’s created one of the most dominant defenses in the league, and had his fingerprints all over the Bucs’ Super Bowl win last season.
Leftwich got his coaching start as quarterbacks coach for the Cardinals in 2017. He was also promoted to interim offensive coordinator for Arizona in 2018. He’s been OC for the Bucs since 2019.
Bowles has coached at the NFL level since 2000. He’s won three Super Bowls. One ring came as a starting safety for Washington following the 1987 season. Then he won as a member of Green Bay’s player personnel staff in 1996. His last Lombardi Trophy came as defensive coordinator for the Bucs in 2020.
