Lovie Smith went 81-63 over nine years with the Bears before being fired Monday, including three division titles and a Super Bowl appearance. While that was not enough for him to keep his job, it may be enough to get him hired again quickly.
Smith has already been contacted by four of the six other NFL teams with coaching vacancies, according to ESPN. With his track record as a head coach in Chicago and defensive assistant in Tampa Bay and St. Louis, he could be a good fit for an almost-contender (Chargers, Eagles) or rebuilding project (Chiefs, Browns, Cardinals, Bills).
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that Smith is most interested in the Cardinals or the Bills.
Plenty of candidates outside the NFL’s head coaching ranks are getting attention, such as ESPN analyst Jon Gruden and college coaches Chip Kelly and Nick Saban. Coordinators, from New England’s Josh McDaniels to Denver’s Mike McCoy, are also considered favorites.
But 2012 head coaches who just didn’t work out with their current teams, such as Smith and former Eagles coach Andy Reid, are also expected to find prime landing spots. The interest in Smith affirms that.
