Matt Eberflus expected back as Bears coach in 2024

Chicago Bears fans hoping that coach Matt Eberflus will be fired at the end of the season may not like the latest update from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport shared some intel on Twitter Saturday that suggested Eberflus will be back with the Bears in 2024.

Here is the #Bears section for context: https://t.co/jKD0QhiImb pic.twitter.com/GbrKE55gS9

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 31, 2023

The Bears enter Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with a 6-9 record and winners of four of their last six games. And while Chicago hasn’t played a good enough brand of football to challenge the Detroit Lions in the NFC North, they did double their win total in Eberflus’ second season on the job. When you factor in the three games that they squandered double-digit leads in the fourth quarter, the Bears could easily be staring at a playoff berth in 2023.

It’s the kind of improvement that keeps coaches employed, even if it hasn’t always been pretty.

The Chicago Bears’ 2023 season has been bumpy, starting with four straight losses and coaching chaos. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned, and running backs coach David Walker was fired. Both were bad looks for Eberflus, who appeared to be a dead man walking at the time.

However, the season experienced a significant turnaround once Matt Eberflus took over the defensive playcalling duties and GM Ryan Poles traded for Montez Sweat. Since then, the Bears’ defense has played like one of the five best in the NFL, and the offense has done just enough with Justin Fields to have a winning record over the last 11 games.

Eberflus can tie a positive ribbon on the 2023 season in Week 18’s finale against the Green Bay Packers. If he goes into the 2024 offseason with a victory over the club’s most hated rival, there’s no doubt he’ll return for a third year. Whether he’ll have a new quarterback via the 2024 NFL Draft remains unclear despite Fields’ improvement this season.

The 2024 NFL Draft will feature two blue-chip quarterback prospects — Caleb Williams and Drake Maye — that the Chicago Bears could be in position to select. The Bears should end the season with the first or second overall pick (via the Carolina Panthers), and if Fields doesn’t have a signature moment over the next two games, Poles could decide to move on.

It’s crazy to think the Bears’ quarterback decision could come down to the final eight quarters of 2023, but it’s the reality we’re in. Unfortunately, Justin Fields hasn’t done enough to make it an easy choice. And when that’s the case, the odds of Chicago moving on from him remain high.

What appears less likely, however, is that a new coach will man the sidelines in 2024.