The Chicago Bears will hire Marc Trestman as their next head coach, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Biggs reported the news over his Twitter account shortly after 1:00 am CT Wednesday. He says Trestman beat out Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell for the job. Alouettes reporter Didier Ormejuste confirmed the report.
The Bears fired longtime head coach Lovie Smith after the season despite the team’s 10-6 record. Chicago GM Phil Emery says he fired Smith because, while the defenses were always strong under Smith, his offenses were too unproductive.
Trestman, along with the other finalists, is an offensive-oriented coach. He comes to Chicago after five seasons as head coach of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes where he won his division four times and the Grey Cup twice.
A former college quarterback at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State-Moorhead, Trestman has extensive NFL experience. He coached Bernie Kosar in both college and the pros, and quarterbacks like Steve Young, Scott Mitchell, Jake Plummer, and Rich Gannon all had excellent seasons with Trestman’s help.
The Bears have the personnel to maintain a strong defense for the next few years, and Trestman should provide an offensive boost. I think this was an excellent hire by Chicago.
The reports also confirm what Jimmy Johnson tweeted on Friday. The former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl-winning coach said it looked like Trestman was going to be getting the Bears job. Trestman was an assistant under Johnson at Miami in 1984.
