Ted Monachino, who agreed to become Kansas State’s defensive coordinator in late December, is instead expected to join the Bears as an assistant, according to ESPN.
He will team with new Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. They worked together with the Colts and Ravens.
Monachino coached the Ravens’ outside linebackers from 2010 to 2011 and linebackers from 2012 to 2015. He was the Colts’ defensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017, Pagano’s last two years as the team’s coach.
After Pagano and his staff were fired, Monachino spent last season as a senior defensive analyst at Missouri, his alma mater. He agreed three weeks ago to run the defense and coach linebackers for new Kansas State coach Chris Klieman.
Monachino, 52, had an out in his Kansas State contract that allowed him to leave the school for an NFL job with no penalty, according to the Wichita Eagle.
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Monachino coached C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil with the Ravens. His Colts defenses struggled in his two years as coordinator. In 2017, the unit gave up the third-most yards and third-most points in the NFL. The year before, his defense finished 22nd in points allowed and gave up the third-most yards in the league.
Pagano, who was named to succeed Vic Fangio as the Bears’ defensive coordinator Friday, is coaching in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Saturday in the Los Angeles area.
