The Bears made it official Thursday night: They announced the hiring of former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, making him the 17th head coach in franchise history.
New General Manager Ryan Poles selected Eberflus over former head coaches Dan Quinn and Jim Caldwell. Ebeflus has spent 13 seasons in the NFL but has no head coaching experience.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Matt become the next head coach of the Chicago Bears,” Poles said in a statement. “His experience, passion, character and attention to detail made him the right man for both the job and the culture we intend to establish here at Halas Hall. Throughout the search, Matt impressed me when detailing his vision and plan for our team. We look forward to getting to work and assembling a top-notch staff and roster that will help us consistently compete for championships.”
Eberflus has served as the Colts’ defensive coordinator the past four seasons. The Colts were the only NFL defensive unit to rank in the top 10 in scoring, run defense and takeaways each of the past two seasons. They finished in the top 10 in run defense and takeaways in all four of his years, top 10 in points allowed in three of the four and were the least penalized defense in the league in 2019 and 2021.
“I would like to thank Ryan and the McCaskey family for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the Chicago Bears, one of the most storied franchises in all of sports in one of the greatest cities in the world,” Eberflus said. “I am truly humbled and honored to be named your head coach and together we will do everything in our power to bring a Super Bowl championship back to Chicago.”