From Bears' sideline to 49ers' defense, Eberflus seeks redemption. He joins another ex-head coach in San Francisco.
Fans of the Chicago Bears don't have many fond memories from the Matt Eberflus era.
In three seasons with the franchise, Eberflus' best finish was 7-10 in 2023. He had a 3-14 record in 2023, and only got to 4-8 before being fired in 2025 after Week 13.
There was also a lack of accountability on Eberflus' part during that time. You can look back at the Thanksgiving Day game with the Detroit Lions in 2024 to see that. Eberflus had horrible clock management late in the fourth quarter, which ultimately cost the Bears a chance to win the game.
Instead of taking responsibility for his mistake, he blamed Caleb Williams. It was no surprise that Eberflus' tenure with Chicago ended early.
Since his time with the Bears, Eberflus has served as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator.
Now, he has moved on to another assistant role with a different NFL team. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Eberlus is joining the San Francisco 49ers as the assistant head coach of defense. He'll be working alongside another former head coach, Raheem Morris, who was brought in as the defensive coordinator.
Morris was previously the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. After going 8-9 from 2024-25, the Falcons decided it was time to move on and fired Morris.
Eberflus is replacing Gus Bradley at the 49ers. Bradley left to join former 49ers DC Robert Saleh at the Tennessee Titans. The Titans hired Saleh as HC, with Bradley set to be the DC in Nashville.
Eberflus did not do the Cowboys much justice during his time as DC. Dallas allowed the most points (30.1) and third-most total offensive yards (377) per game.
He isn't the only former Bears head coach who has landed with a new team this offseason.
Matt Nagy left the Kansas City Chiefs after spending 2022-25 as their offensive coordinator to pursue head coaching opportunities. He was considered for the Titans' job, but the organization went with Saleh instead.
Nagy then joined former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh at the New York Giants as his OC.
John Fox has landed a new gig within the last few months as well. Fox spent 2015-17 as the head coach of the Bears and was fired after failing to make the playoffs once during his tenure.
Fox is now with the Buffalo Bills as a senior assistant.
Something to watch will be how all these former Bears head coaches do in their new roles in 2026.