Bears Rumors: James Bettcher Interviews to Replace Chuck Pagano as DC

In an effort to replace defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, the Chicago Bears are giving consideration to James Bettcher. 

Bettcher, who previously served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals, interviewed with the Bears on Monday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

Pagano retired last week after two seasons with the Bears and 18 years in the NFL. 

Bettcher didn't coach in 2020, after his stint with the Giants came to a close at the same time as head coach Pat Shurmur's. In two seasons with the Giants, he never found success, as New York's defense ranked No. 24 in the league in 2018 and No. 25 in 2019, a far cry from what he put together in three years with the Arizona Cardinals.

His Cardinals teams were among the top defenses in the league. 

According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Bettcher spent the 2020 season at his Arizona home, where he spoke with a number of NFL personnel, including Bears coach Matt Nagy and Pagano while he rebuilt his own playbook. He told Raanan that he has a vision for any defense that will hire him this offseason: 

"No. 1, it's a fast-playing, relentless, tough, smart [unit]," he said. "That is all it has ever been about for me. ... Schematically that can look like whatever it needs to look like because we're multiple. That's what we have to be to defend ever-changing offenses."

For the gig in Chicago, Bettcher is reportedly up against a pair of coaches who have experience from the 2020 season: Dallas Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards and Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon.