The hunt for the next offensive coordinator is over for the Chicago Bears, with Shane Waldron reportedly being hired. Waldron has spent the last three seasons in the same position with the Seattle Seahawks and joins Chicago with an abundance of coaching experience.
Former OC Luke Getsy was fired on Jan. 10, and Chicago has since acted quickly to bring in their new offensive play-caller. Waldron is now that man in Chicago. This is what we know about the Bears’ new coordinator.
Shane Waldron’s Coaching Experience
Waldron joins the Bears after leaving the Seahawks at the end of the 2023 season, following Pete Carroll out the door in Seattle.
Tom Pelissero announced on Jan. 22 that the Bears “are working towards a deal to hire Waldron as their new offensive coordinator.” Waldron was one of many candidates to be interviewed in Chicago.
Having been with the Seahawks since 2021, Waldron joins with plenty of experience across the NFL and college games. He started his career in 2002, joining the New England Patriots as an operations intern. Waldron stayed on the operations side until 2005 when he left to join Notre Dame as a graduate assistant.
In 2008, Waldron rejoined the Patriots, but he left again in 2010, returning to the college ranks with stints at Hartford, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, and UMass.
It was in 2016 that the offensive mind came back to the NFL, linking up with Washington as an offensive quality control coach. After just one year in the capital, Waldron moved across the country, joining the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 with the newly hired Sean McVay.
With the Rams, Waldron made a name for himself in coaching circles. He coached tight ends in 2017, before becoming the passing game coordinator in 2018 when Matt LaFleur left to become the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.
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After serving in the role for three years, Waldron would ascend again, but this time with a division rival. He was hired by the Seahawks to be their offensive coordinator after Brian Schottenheimer left and took a role with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Schottenheimer and the offense were heavily criticized during the 2020 season, so the Seahawks went in a different direction with their hire.
The McVay tree is now well established in the NFL, and Waldron was one of many coaches to have come through the Rams’ system and been successful.
After three years in Seattle, Waldron has been regarded as being a relative success. Although many Seattle fans thought he was part of the problem for the offense taking a step back in 2023. The productivity of the Seahawks and Bears offenses are very similar.
In 2023, the Bears averaged 323.2 yards per game. Under Waldron, the Seahawks were at 322.9. The average points per game metric is also extremely similar, with Seattle averaging 21.4 points and Chicago averaging 21.2.
Waldron will now be linking up with Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus, looking to inject the Bears’ offense with his experience. The coordinator is credited with rejuvenating Geno Smith’s career in Seattle. Surely it was a factor as to why he was hired, given the QB situation in Chicago.
Why Was Waldron Hired?
Waldron comes with a high pedigree and was widely considered a top coordinator on the market. It’s a big get for Chicago, as Waldron was expected to be in contention for several openings this offseason.
The Bears have wrapped this one up quickly, with teams currently conducting interviews for new head coaches. It was key for Chicago to get the deal finalized once they had completed their interview process and before head coaches started falling into place.
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Chicago opted to move on because it had become clear that Getsy couldn’t take the Bears’ offense any further. Justin Fields had blamed “coaching” for causing him to think too much during games. It’s a quote Fields later backtracked from, but he did confirm feeling like he wasn’t able to play free.
Now, the biggest question for Waldron and the Bears is, who is the QB in 2024? It could be Fields — or it could be one of the top QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft, with Chicago owning the No. 1 overall pick. Caleb Williams is expected to go first overall, and Chicago has already begun its due diligence on him.
One coach interviewed for the OC job was former Arizona Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury, who spent the 2023 season as an assistant coach at USC.
Whether it’s been Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, or Smith, Waldron has shown he can produce with different types of passers. That experience across different styles will be a great asset for Chicago.
The Bears needed to hire someone who has proven they can do it at the highest level and can develop and adapt their offense. Waldron is exactly that.
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