Chicago Bears fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy after two years, and they’ve wasted no time exploring candidates to replace him.
The Bears’ second interview request was for San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak, who has prior offensive playcalling experience.
Head coach Matt Eberflus recently explained what he’s looking for in a new offensive coordinator, which included adaptability on offense, something lacking under Getsy.
“Obviously you want to have somebody that’s a great teacher,” Eberflus said. “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.”
Let’s take a look at what Kubiak brings to the table in our Bears offensive coordinator candidate profile:
Experience
Passing game coordinator, San Francisco 49ers (2023-Present)
Passing game coordinator & quarterbacks coach, Denver Broncos (2022)
Offensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings (2021)
Quarterbacks coach, Minnesota Vikings (2019-20)
Offensive assistant, Denver Broncos (2016-18)
Wide receivers coach, Kansas (2015)
Offensive quality control coach, Minnesota Vikings (2013-14)
Graduate assistant, Texas A&M (2012)
Offensive quality control coach, Texas A&M (2010-11)
Fit with Bears
Kubiak hails from the Kyle Shanahan tree, where his father, Gary Kubiak, worked with Kyle’s dad, Mike Shanahan, in Denver. It’s been a dynamic offensive scheme where quarterbacks have thrived. While Kubiak isn’t super experienced a playcaller, he has called offensive plays on two separate occasions with the Vikings (2021) and Broncos (2022).
The Bears have preached adaptability, especially when it comes to different types of quarterbacks, as something that will play a huge factor in their decision at offensive coordinator. Kubiak has worked with a multitude of quarterbacks, including Ryan Tannehill, Teddy Bridgewater, Paxton Lynch, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins and Brock Purdy.
During Kubiak’s one-year stint as offensive coordinator in Minnesota, the Vikings ranked 12th in total offense, 11th in passing offense and 14th in scoring. Kubiak’s work with Cousins (where he served as QB coach from 2019-20) was impressive, as Cousins passed for 7,868 yards and 61 touchdowns in that span.
Kubiak spent last season with the Broncos as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and former head coach Nathaniel Hackett turned over playcalling to Kubiak in late November, and the results were impactful. Denver went from averaging a league-worst 13.8 points per game (Weeks 1-13) to averaging 24.2 points per game (Week 14-18), which ranked 11th in the NFL.
Whoever winds up being the Bears’ quarterback in 2024 – Justin Fields, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or another rookie – Kubiak has shown he can build an offense around that player.
