It’s been an eventful 24 hours at Halas Hall, with the Chicago Bears firing a slew of coaches on the offensive side of the ball while retaining head coach Matt Eberflus.
The team announced it fired offensive coordinator coordinator Luke Getsy, quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, running backs coach Omar Young and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts on January 10. The team did retain offensive line coach Chris Morgan and tight ends coach Jim Dray.
Shortly after the news broke, former quarterback Chase Daniel let the team to know he’s available to replace Janocko, specifically.
“I’m available,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Chase Daniel’s Offer to Be Bears’ Next QBs Coach Got Some Strong Responses
Bears fans remember Daniel from the 2018 and 2019 seasons, when he served as backup to former starting QB Mitchell Trubisky.
Daniel went undrafted out of the University of Missouri in 2009 and went on to have one of the best careers any backup quarterback has ever had in the NFL. He spent 13 seasons in the league, also playing for the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers.
Naturally, after Daniel posted about his availability, reactions poured in. Former Bears cornerback (and Daniel teammate) Prince Amukamara threw a bunch of eyeball emoji his way:
“Go get it man. Truthfully—-you would be a fantastic coach,” former quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky wrote on X.
Overall, Bears Nation was divided on the idea.
“Chase, all due respect, you made Josh Dobbs & Tommy DeVito out to be Steve Young & Patrick Mahomes this season. Again, respectfully,” one member of Bears Nation wrote.
Others were a tad more optimistic about the idea:
I’m available 🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/2SXNsV29Jo
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) January 10, 2024
Chase Daniel Also Loves Justin Fields
Daniel, who has no coaching experience at the collegiate or pro levels, has served as an analyst for The 33rd Team and The Athletic this season. It was the first year he wasn’t on an NFL roster since his rookie campaign.
Daniel spent a good deal of time watching film on Bears quarterback Justin Fields during the regular season, and he recently took a look at all 13 games the third-year QB played in 2023. He came away believing Fields should be the team’s QB1.
In a January 9 appearance on 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel Show, Daniel praised the progress he saw from Fields.
“This might be a quarterback in Justin Fields that has had the highest level of growth this year of any quarterback in the NFL. … He played 13 games, really 12.5. It was impressive. It really was,” Daniel said.
Daniel also noted it’s possible for a quarterback to take another leap between Year 3 and Year 4. “I think his ceiling is going to continue to grow,” he said in reference to Fields. “He’s good enough to be a top-15, top-12 quarterback. … Something has clicked in his mind where he’s getting the ball out, or he’s taking off, and that’s all you can ask.”
In his 13 starts this season, Fields completed a career-high 61.4% of his passes for 2,562 yards, 17 TDs and 9 interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 657 yards, adding 4 TDs on the ground. Those aren’t numbers to write home about, but Daniel says it’s about more than stats.
“In my opinion, it’s about more than numbers,” he said, also noting “the fan base (and) the team has been galvanized around Justin.”
The Bears have the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, and they haven’t decided what they’re going to do with it yet. But if they do roll with Fields again next season, it’s clear Daniel wouldn’t mind working with the young QB.
