Publicly, the Bears have not denied the report that Matt Nagy has been told he’ll be fired after tomorrow’s game at Detroit.
But privately, Bears chairman George McCaskey told players and coaches today that there is no truth to the report, according to Dan Pompei of TheAthletic.com.
McCaskey, the grandson of Bears founder George Halas, is the person who would make the ultimate decision on the job status of Nagy, General Manager Ryan Pace, team President Ted Phillips, and other top Bears officials. So if anyone would know whether Nagy is out, it’s McCaskey.
Still, if Nagy’s job is safe beyond this week, it’s odd that McCaskey wouldn’t say so publicly. When ESPN incorrectly reported late in the 2019 season that head coach Doug Marrone had been informed he would be fired, Jaguars owner Shad Khan immediately released a statement denying the report, and Marrone did in fact remain for the 2020 season. McCaskey could easily release the same statement. But he hasn’t.
So speculation will continue that Nagy is on very thin ice in Chicago. Even if tomorrow proves not to be his last game as the Bears’ head coach.