The Bears moved onto their fifth head coaching candidate in four days Saturday morning, interviewing Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.
The 39-year-old mentored quarterback Carson Wentz to a likely MVP trophy this year until he hurt his knee last month. The Bears hope he could do the same with Mitch Trubisky.
The former James Madison quarterback coached Raiders quarterbacks from 2007-08, the Jets quarterbacks in 2009 and, after a two-year stint at San Jose State, the Raiders quarterbacks from 2012-14. He was the Browns offensive coordinator in 2015.
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“Both (Wentz sand DeFillipo) are kind of hard-headed and stubborn,” Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told Chicago reporters in late November. “It’s good to have that type of relationship where you can have hard conversation in that room and yet walk away and come out of that room united. I think that’s one of the strengths DeFilippo brings to that room, and then the quarterbacks respond. … That’s a positive thing that has come out of that quarterback room.”
DeFilippo is also a free agent at the end of the season. A popular head coaching candidate, he could also be pursued as an offensive coordinator.
The Bears interviewed him Saturday morning after meeting with two offensive coordinators — the Patriots’ Josh McDaniels and the Vikings’ Pat Shurmur — on Friday. They met with Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards on Thursday and their own defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, on Wednesday.
They had to speak to all but Fangio before the end of Sunday’s games, per league rules. They plan to talk to Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy next. His Chiefs play the Titans in a playoff game Saturday.
