Immediately after John Fox's amicable separation from the Denver Broncos on Monday, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport introduced the Chicago Bears as the most likely landing spot.
Now Rapoport reports, via several sources involved in the situation, Fox is fully expected to interview for the Bears' head-coaching opening.
Fox isn't guaranteed to land the job, but he has several major factors working in his favor.
His closest friend in the coaching community is Saints coach Sean Payton, who worked with new Bears general manager Ryan Pace for years in New Orleans. Former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, who is helping Pace with the coaching search, had Fox as a defensive coordinator in New York.
Because Pace is the NFL's youngest general manager, the preference of the Bears' higher-ups is to pair him with a veteran coach of Fox's caliber. It doesn't hurt that Fox's football philosophy is in lockstep with Pace's goal of bringing the organization back to its "Monsters of the Midway" defense and ball-control roots.
Fox also has experience guiding a team through quarterback turmoil from his years with Chris Weinke, Matt Moore, David Carr and Jimmy Clausen in Carolina. That could come in handy if Pace opts to move on from Jay Cutler this offseason.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Divisional Round game and ranks the remaining quarterbacks still standing. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
