Richard Sherman says Bears would benefit from Pete Carroll’s culture-building ability

Richard Sherman thinks the Bears need to look beyond coaches with simple offensive or defensive pedigrees. The five-time Pro Bowler said Thursday the Bears need a culture architect, someone like Pete Carroll.

“I think he’s going to get a head-coaching job just because he’s a culture builder,” Sherman told Kay Adams on the Up & Adams Show. “I think everybody’s gotten into this cutesy mindset of, ‘Offensive genius,’ or ‘Defensive genius,’ and they forgot about building culture of a team. And he’s built with young quarterbacks, he’s built with quarterbacks people have thrown away. And he’s had success fielding defenses. All the pieces are there for him to be really successful.”

Carroll oversaw a Seahawks juggernaut that helped Sherman register three All-Pro selections. Seattle made playoff appearances 10 times in Carroll’s 14 seasons as head coach, including consecutive Super Bowl berths in 2013-14. When the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in 2013, Sherman led the NFL with eight interceptions.

The Bears are reportedly interviewing Carroll on Thursday. The coach turns 73 in September but no one believes his age is an issue. During his final years in Seattle, Carroll looked like a 23-year-old running through drills at Seahawks practices and warming up quarterbacks. In August, he said he was content with taking a year off from the game and awaiting the 2025 hiring cycle, teaching a course at the University of Southern California.

“Well, you know, I get asked a lot, so I’m pretty familiar with answering that I could coach tomorrow,” Carroll said during an interview on KJR Radio. “I’m physically in the best shape I’ve been in a long time. I’m ready to be ready to do all the activities that I’m doing and feeling really good about it. I could, but I’m not desiring it at this point.”

One of just three head coaches to capture a Super Bowl and college football national championship, Carroll guided Southern California to a national championship during the 2004 season. Two decades later, Caleb Williams left USC to become the No. 1 overall selection in the draft. Now, they might team up in Chicago.

The Bears are searching for a head coach for the fifth time since moving on from Lovie Smith after the 2011 season. Carroll left USC in 2010 and provided franchise stability in Seattle, an organization that fired Jim Mora after one season in 2009.

For more information on the Bears and the NFL hiring cycle, visit the Chicago teampage and Coach/GM Carousel page at ProFootballPost.com.