Eddie George e1737305875727 Chicago BearsTennessee State photo

Former All-Pro running back Eddie George will reportedly interview for the head-coach vacancy with the Chicago Bears on Monday. It’s a situation to monitor because, while interviewing George in person will make the team’s search compliant with the Rooney Rule, this won’t be a token meeting that checks a box. Here are four reasons why:

  • Instant respect: George was a four-time Pro Bowler, the 1996 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, and played nine years in the NFL. George played in nine postseason games, including Super Bowl XXXIV, one of the best championship games in NFL history. He won the Heisman Trophy at Ohio State and stands as one of only 32 players in NFL annals to reach 10,000 career rushing yards.
  • Culture carrier: The head coach at Tennessee State since 2021, George has turned around a mediocre program. In 2024, he guided the Tigers to their first postseason berth in 11 years. While he would need to navigate the challenges any first-year NFL head coach faces, he certainly has the pedigree to serve as a CEO-type leader in Chicago. Plus, George spent the 2023 offseason working with Bears players as a Bill Walsh fellow.
  • Coaching connections: George undoubtedly would have NFL relationships to attract top offensive and defensive coordinators currently in the league. Retaining Thomas Brown, who finished the season as the Bears’ interim head coach, is also an option to provide continuity for quarterback Caleb Williams. Plus, George’s current TSU staff includes Jeff Fisher, Fisher’s son Brandon (the Tigers’ defensive coordinator), nine-year NFL veteran Joe Bowden, and former All-Pro defensive lineman Clyde Simmons, who finished his 15-year career with the Bears in 2000. One of Simmons’ NFL stops was with the St. Louis Rams, where he worked with Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald. Finally, George has on staff special teams coordinator Keith Burns, a key cog in Denver’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1997-98 before leaving as a free agent to play with the Bears in 1999.
  • Intangibles: Not only has George shown he can hire the right people, give them the ability to do their jobs and support them while staying out of their way, he also has the temperament to work well with the Chicago media. Plus, he’s a great story who’s familiar with Chicago, having earned his MBA from Northwestern. He’s also appeared on Broadway in the musical Chicago and on the hit CBS series Survivor, and is married to singer, rapper and actor Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George.

George would be the 17th known candidate to interview for the Bears’ head-coach vacancy. The team fired Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving and promoted Brown.

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


Discover more from Pro Football Post

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

By Zak Gilbert

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

Leave a Reply