Bears Rumors: Chicago Eyes Northwestern HC Pat Fitzgerald If Matt Nagy Is Fired

If the Chicago Bears fire head coach Matt Nagy after this season, they may not look outside the state for his replacement.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported the Bears have their eye on Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald as their next head coach.

Fitzgerald, 46, has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2006. The program, which faces a sizable disadvantage among Power Five schools because of its rigorous academic requirements, has had its most sustained run of success under the former Wildcats linebacker. Northwestern appears likely to finish ranked for the third time in four seasons and will make its 10th bowl game of Fitzgerald's tenure in 2020.

NFL teams have attempted to woo Fitzgerald a number of times in the past—most notably the Green Bay Packers in 2019—but he has maintained loyalty to Northwestern.

If Fitzgerald ever decides to leave Evanston, now may be the time. The Bears job would not require any overhauling of Fitzgerald's lifestyle; Evanston is just 14 miles outside of Chicago. He could keep the same home, same life and simply have a different employer a little farther away from his home.

The Bears also come with a defense equipped for a playoff run and an offense with talent, seemingly needing only competence at the quarterback spot to become a contender. Nagy's undoing in Chicago may have been his belief in Nick Foles. The Bears traded a fourth-round pick for Foles this offseason, with his familiarity and relationship with Nagy playing a large factor.

It seems likely the Bears would have been in a better position if they would have made a run at Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston or invested in a quarterback during April's draft. Nagy has a 25-18 record in Chicago overall, but the team has taken a downturn since a 12-4 run in 2018.