Chicago Bears to hire Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator, per reports

The Bears will hire Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.

Waldron, 44, will join head coach Matt Eberflus’ coaching staff with the goal of improving an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in passing in 2023. Waldron most recently served as the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks under head coach Pete Carroll.

The Seahawks fired Carroll after Week 18 and allowed all his assistants to seek employment elsewhere. That put Waldron, who has three years as an offensive coordinator under his belt, on the market.

Waldron rose through the NFL ranks working under Sean McVay both in Washington and in Los Angeles. He worked for McVay from 2016-20, beginning as an offensive quality control coach in Washington in 2016 and working his way up to passing game coordinator during his final three seasons in Los Angeles.

The Seahawks hired Waldron during their final year with quarterback Russell Wilson with the hopes of elevating their offense. Waldron’s Seahawks offense significantly improved in 2022, when it finished ninth in scoring and 11th in passing yards with quarterback Geno Smith under center. Waldron will receive a lot of credit for helping Smith revive his career and lead Seattle to a playoff appearance that season.

The Bears chose Waldron over a pool of at least eight additional candidates who reportedly interviewed. That included names like Kliff Kingsbury, Klint Kubiak, Gary Roman and others. Waldron’s hiring doesn’t necessarily mean the Bears are leaning one way or another when it comes to the quarterback position. It probably doesn’t change the Justin Fields vs. a rookie quarterback debate all that much.

Waldron will almost certainly bring the same type of wide-zone run blocking scheme that his predecessor, Luke Getsy, ran. The scheme has taken over the NFL thanks to coaches like McVay’s and Kyle Shanahan’s success running it. The Bears retained their offensive line coach, Chris Morgan, who has worked almost exclusively in that scheme.

The Saints also were reportedly interested in Waldron for their open offensive coordinator position.