Whatever the timing, [Matt] Eberflus' firing followed a trend of failed Bears coaches. But his 2022 hiring was part of another pattern, too, one that both the Bears' fan base and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell have now clocked -- with concern.
Since 2018, agent and ex-Chicago defensive end Trace Armstrong and his agency, Athletes First, have represented two fired Bears head coaches, Matt Nagy and Eberflus; three fired offensive coordinators, Mark Helfrich, Luke Getsy and Shane Waldron; as well as current general manager Ryan Poles.
"I've never seen one agent have so much influence on one team and had so little success, but they keep going back and taking his guys," said one coaching agent, who requested anonymity to speak freely on the topic. "And we all kind of shake our heads like, have they not figured this out yet?"
Per the league office's internal data, Armstrong is one of six coaching agents who represented more than one head coach, coordinator or general manager for the same club going into the 2023 season, the most recent data available. The others are Frank Bauer, Richmond Flowers III, Bob Lamonte, Jimmy Sexton and Rick Smith.