By Dianna Russini, Scott Dochterman, Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns
The Chicago Bears are interviewing Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell for their head-coaching vacancy, a league source confirmed Wednesday. The Chicago Tribune first reported the news.
Chicago also completed an interview with former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, the team announced Wednesday.
The Bears are seeking a replacement for coach Matt Eberflus, who was fired following a Thanksgiving Day loss at Detroit.
Campbell, 45, is the winningest coach in Iowa State history with a 64-51 overall record since 2016. The Cyclones capped the 2024 season with a school-record 11th victory by beating Miami 42-41 in the Pop Tarts Bowl.
In December, Campbell agreed to a new eight-year contract through the 2032 season. It is unclear whether the contract is signed, but his annual salary under his current contract is $2.4 million. He racked up $1.6 million in incentives by winning 11 games, qualifying for the Big 12 title game and winning a bowl game. His buyout is $4 million.
The Bears also plan to interview former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll for the job, as The Athletic previously reported, while the Dallas Cowboys denied the Bears’ request to interview Dallas coach Mike McCarthy for the role.
The first round of the Bears’ head-coaching interviews will all be completed virtually, even with the multiple candidates they could meet in person.
We have completed an interview with head coach candidate Mike Vrabel. pic.twitter.com/gls8gRYssM
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 8, 2025
Is the Campbell interview a surprise?
Bears GM Ryan Poles said there’d be a surprising candidate, and it might be Campbell, who seemed to be a more popular NFL candidate a few years ago. Poles’ work as a scout certainly allowed him plenty of occasions to overlap with Campbell. He was the Kansas City Chiefs’ director of college scouting when they drafted Kareem Hunt, who played three of his seasons at Toledo for Campbell.
Campbell’s leadership abilities and what he’s done to build a winner at Iowa State are his strong suits. But what kind of NFL staff would he build? What’s his quarterback development plan? Those will likely be major parts of an interview. — Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer
You can’t overstate what Campbell means to Iowa State
From 1989 through 2016, Iowa State had just one winning Big Eight or Big 12 campaign, and that was a 5-3 mark in 2000. From Campbell’s second year in 2017 through 2024, Iowa State posted seven winning Big 12 seasons, and his 2020 squad won the Fiesta Bowl. After completing his ninth season less than two weeks ago, Campbell is the only Iowa State coach with a winning career conference record since 1920.
Campbell has built a program that relies on development and supplements through the transfer portal. Schematically, the Cyclones run a pro-style offense that usually relies on 11 or 12 personnel but has run-pass balance. Among his offensive pupils include quarterback Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers), running back Breece Hall (New York Jets), wide receiver Allen Lazard (New York Jets) and wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (Houston Texans).
On defense, Iowa State came in with a 4-3 design and quarters coverage, but Campbell pushed defensive coordinator Jon Heacock to adapt to the Big 12’s wide open offenses. Then Cyclones then incorporated a 3-3-5 scheme that has been copied throughout college football.
Campbell has interviewed previously for high-profile college football openings at USC and Florida State and was a candidate for the Detroit Lions job that went to Dan Campbell in 2021. — Scott Dochterman, college football writer
Where does the Bears’ interview process stand?
Over the next few days, the Bears will move through their long list of initial interviews. Vrabel was first, and NFL Network reported that Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will interview Wednesday evening. Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is reportedly scheduled for Thursday.
Starting with Vrabel makes sense for two reasons. One, he’s the most available. No request had to be made. And two, other than Pete Carroll, he’s got the most impressive head-coaching resume, and might garner the most interest.
Would the Bears be willing to move quickly on Vrabel if the New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders or Jets have their sights set on him, too? Do they need to interview everyone they’ve requested in their attempt to “cast a wide net” if Vrabel aced his interview? We could know the answer to that in the coming days, as Vrabel seems like the top overall candidate in this cycle. — Fishbain
How this coaching search is different for Chicago
Poles said he was going to look at candidates from different backgrounds, including the college ranks. So the Bears’ interest in Campbell and David Shaw, Stanford’s former coach, isn’t surprising. They both have strong reputations as culture builders and both have had considerable success.
But so does Vrabel — at the NFL level. Vrabel is one of top candidates in this cycle for many reasons. The answers that Vrabel, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and other NFL coaches provide will be different than what Campbell says when the Bears meet with him.
But that’s what the Bears seem to want from this process after firing Eberflus. So interviewing Campbell is still a worthwhile experience. The Bears sound determined to gather as much information as possible during what is looking like a deep and different coaching search for the team. — Adam Jahns, Bears beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: David Purdy / Getty Images)
