Iowa State HC Matt Campbell Gets Interview from NFL Team

With the NFL season concluding for more than half the league this week, it's been a week defined by head coach and general manager firings. Presently, there are six teams in need of a new head coach: the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

That means these teams are scrambling to contact and interview coaches all across the NFL and NCAA for their vacant positions. Generating interest again this cycle is Iowa State Cyclones football head coach Matt Campbell, who is hot off a historically great season. This season, Campbell became the winningest head coach in program history in conjunction with the Cyclones winning 10 games for the first time ever.

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Campbell — who reportedly came very close to signing a huge contract to become the Detroit Lions head coach in 2021 — is set to be interviewed by the Chicago Bears for their head coaching position. As a long-suffering Bears fan, this past season was one of the worst and most disappointing in recent memory. The Bears began the season with potential playoff expectations thanks to the acquisition of numerous talented players, and of course, #1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams at quarterback.

Instead, the Bears stumblebummed their way to a 5-12 record in a season underscored by the firing of their offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus. It was the first time in franchise history coaches were fired midseason. Oh yeah, and the Bears also lost 10 games in a row before miraculously defeating the Green Bay Packers for a Week 18 win.

According to Brag Biggs, trusted Bears beat reporter of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears are set to interview Matt Campbell sometime soon. As of this writing, they've completed an interview with former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, and have also requested to interview many, many other names. Among them is former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and, perhaps the hottest coordinator this cycle, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

In nine seasons at Iowa State, Campbell, who is only 45-years-old, is 64-51. He previously coached at Toledo for five seasons, going 35-15. At both schools, which aren't known for garnering high-end recruits, he has done a lot with comparatively little.

Personally, I do believe Campbell will be an NFL coach at some point, assuming he wants to be. I don't believe it'll be for the Chicago Bears, however. My far-and-away #1 choice is Ben Johnson for his offensive/play-calling acumen, which I feel would work wonders with Caleb Williams. My second choice is Mike Vrabel.

With most Chicago fans clamoring for one or the other, that means the Bears will hire someone out-of-left-field. This isn't a franchise known for making prudent, logical decisions over the last 25+ years.

Read more about Matt Campbell interviewing for the Chicago Bears head coaching job on NBC Sports' website.