Chicago Bears officially hire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron
CHICAGO, Ill. - It's official for the Chicago Bears: Shane Waldron has been hired as the franchise's next offensive coordinator.
"I appreciate this opportunity given to me by Coach Eberflus and Ryan Poles," Waldron said in a statement. "We can’t wait to get to work at a franchise with such a storied history and passionate fan base."
NFL Network first reported Waldron's hire on Monday morning.
Waldron has 19 years of coaching experience, including 10 of which at the NFL level. He spent the last three of those 10 years in Seattle as its offensive coordinator under head coach Pete Carroll.
According to the Bears' release, Waldron's offenses in Seattle ranked third in yards per touch (7.8), third in big plays passing (110), fourth in big plays rushing percentage (13.0%) across the league. The release notes big plays are defined as runs of 10 or more yards and passes of 25 or more yards.
In his career, Waldron has worked with Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, Russell Wilson and Geno Smith. As a coach, Waldron has worked under Carroll, Bill Belichick, Sean McVay and Jay Gruden. Waldron earned a ringing endorsement from Wilson which led to his hiring as Seattle's offensive coordinator in 2021.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 11: Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron of the Seattle Seahawks looks on during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Lumen Field on December 11, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty
The Bears interviewed nine candidates in total before zeroing in on Waldron. Before the search began, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was looking for a coach that can teach, innovate and adjust.
"Obviously you want to have somebody that's a great teacher," Eberflus said in the season wrap-up press conference on Jan. 10. "I think that's important because you know he has to coach the coaches to coach the position. And I think that's the No. 1 trait of any great coach — you have to be able to have the innovation to really look at the players that you have and be able to help enhance and put those guys in position to succeed and to get explosives and to move the ball down the field."
After hiring Waldron, Eberfus made time to thank the other candidates who interviewed with the Bears.
"We are excited to add Shane to our coaching staff," head coach Matt Eberflus said in a statement. "I also want to thank all the candidates we spoke to throughout the interview process. This was a very exhaustive search, but in the end I’m grateful the journey led us to Shane. He is a great teacher and communicator with a diverse coaching background among some of the game’s most elite head coaches. I look forward to partnering with him as we build out the rest of the staff and get him started here."
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