Matt Eberflus Sends 'Heartfelt' Thanks to Bears, Fans in Message After Firing

Matt Eberflus sent a statement of gratitude to the Chicago Bears organization as well as the team's fanbase after he was fired as head coach on Friday.

"I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the players for all of their effort, dedication and resilience," Eberflus said as part of the statement, via CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones. "In every situation - practice, games and especially in the face of adversity, you stayed together and gave great effort for your team and each other."

The Bears suffered a narrow 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on the day before Eberflus was fired, dropping them to 4-8 on the season as a whole after winning four of their first six games.

After the third-year head coach was relieved of his duties, general manager Ryan Poles thanked him for his time in Chicago with a statement of his own.

"I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization," Poles said, per the team's official website. "We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best moving forward."

Eberflus became the first head coach to ever be fired by Chicago in the middle of the season.

In a corresponding move, the Bears elevated former offensive coordinator Thomas Brown to interim head coach. Brown opened the 2024 season as Chicago's passing game coordinator, but was promoted due to the firing of Shane Waldron on Nov. 12.

Eberflus finished with a record of 14-32 with the Bears. The team appeared to be trending in a positive direction after improving from 3-14 in 2022 to 7-10 in 2023, but several close defeats kept Chicago from building upon its strong start with rookie Caleb Williams under center.

The Bears lost due to a Hail Mary by the Washington Commanders in Week 8 and had a last-second field goal blocked during a one-point loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 11.

On Thursday, Chicago entered field goal range late in the fourth quarter but the team was pushed back by a penalty and a sack.

Eberflus chose not to call a timeout with the time running out and the Bears' offense scrambling to get to the line of scrimmage before the clock expired on the ensuing play.

Chicago will now attempt to end its current six-game losing streak under Brown.