The Chicago Bears announced earlier on New Year’s Day that they have fired head coach John Fox. The move was more than expected after Chicago finished up another disastrous season at 5-11.
More so than the record, Fox’s demise in Chicago can be directly linked to the inability of rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky to progress under center. With that in mind, Chicago will reportedly interview Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo to replace Fox as head coach later this week.
DeFilippo became a head coaching candidate primarily due to his work with young quarterback Carson Wentz in Philadelphia. As a sophomore, Wentz became a legit MVP favorite prior to suffering a torn ACL back in Week 14. DeFilippo and head coach Doug Pederson share in the credit for this turnaround.
DeFilippo, 39, served as the Oakland Raiders’ quarterbacks coach from 2012-14, overseeing the end of Carson Palmer’s tenure in Northern California and the start of Derek Carr’s career. In 2015, he served as offensive coordinator for a Cleveland Browns team that finished 30th in the NFL in scoring.