And yet again, a particular Big 12 coach might have won the favor of the $6.4 billion NFL franchise. His name is Matt Campbell. The Chicago Bears’ hunt for a new HC is nothing new. After firing Matt Eberflus on Thanksgiving day, they went 1-4 under interim HC Thomas Brown. This time, their GM is leaving no stones unturned as he’s focused on bringing together a “diverse group.” So, winning the attention of an elite college football HC is among their agendas. But the excitement here is that we’re talking about a guy who turned down more than one NFL offer in the past. 

The Chicago Bears have a valuable prospect in Iowa State HC. On3CFB posted this new development on Instagram on January 9 as reported by Chicago Tribune Brad Biggs. It read, “Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell is expected to interview for the Chicago Bears job.” And it was Matt Campbell’s productive season that gave him this real shot at becoming the Bears’ 19th HC.

Iowa State never had a 10-win season! But this season was an exception. They’re 11-3 and first in the Big 12, earning a trip to the conference championship game. They ultimately fell to Arizona State but this huge leap is a testament to Matt Campbell’s coaching brilliance who committed to Iowa State in 2016. 

Matt Campbell may not have a conference championship yet. But in his nine seasons with the Cyclones, his record rests at 64-51 with seven bowl games. In addition, he also developed several elite players to the NFL including San Francisco QB Brock Purdy and New York Jets RB Breece Hall, among others. But will we be seeing Matt Campbell in the NFL?

Will Matt Campbell go to the NFL?

This isn’t the only NFL offer that Matt Campbell has received in eight years. In 2021, the Detroit Lions sought him out for their HC job before ultimately getting Dan Campbell. But reports stated that the 45-year-old turned down the eight-year, $68.5 million offer and chose to remain in Ames with the Cyclones over the huge transition. And that’s not all. In 2018, a similar situation occurred when he declined an interview request with the Jets. 

Still, the Bears’ GM Ryan Poles is adamant on building a diverse staff. He said, “It’s going to be a diverse group. This will be different backgrounds from offense, defense, special teams, college, pro; We’re turning every stone to make sure we’re doing this the right way.” But there’s a problem much like Oregon HC Dan Lanning who was also shortlisted as one of the Bears’ potential HCs. Matt Campbell signed an eight-year contract extension with Iowa State in December. The contract will run through 2032 so if he decides to abandon ship in Ames, his contract buyout would be tremendous. 

The Bears have already interviewed Tennessee HC Mike Vrabel in a virtual setting on Wednesday. We’ll see what unfolds in the coming days.