Former Bears head coach makes surprising NFL return

A much-maligned former Bears coach returns to the NFL for the first time since 2016

Marc Trestman was only the coach of the Chicago Bears for two seasons from 2013-2014. In that time the coach left a rather poor taste in the mouths of Bears fans.

Now Trestman is back in the NFL. Adam Schefter has reported that Marc Trestman has been hired by the Los Angeles Chargers as an offensive assistant.

Chargers hired former Bears HC Marc Trestman as a Senior Offensive Assistant Coach. pic.twitter.com/pqbArVK41w

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 14, 2024

Anyone who knows Trestman’s past, especially in Chicago, can only look at this news and think, why?

The Marc Trestman fiasco

Trestman quickly lost the locker room due to his many controversial decisions, and personality clashes with the players. Under Trestman’s watch, the Bears produced the worst defense in franchise history in 2014.

There are only two football teams to give up more than 50 points in consecutive games, the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons and the 2014 Chicago Bears. The team essentially gave up under Trestman’s watch and resulted in one of the worst eras in Bears history.

Trestman was such a poor influence on the team that the players even started turning on each other. There was even an instance in which then Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer bashed quarterback Jay Cutler while talking to the media.

Players fought, skipped practice and argued with ESPN for reporting facts. All of this chaos was in part caused by Marc Trestman, his lacking leadership skills, and reported abrasive personality.

Trestman also followed in the footsteps of Lovie Smith, who the Bears had adored. So Trestman’s odds of success weren’t great, even before you take his character into consideration. You can still hear words of admiration from some of Lovie’s former Bears like Devin Hester and Lance Briggs.

Trestman was also a package deal with former Bears general manager Phil Emery. Emery was an objectively bad GM that was responsible for leaving the Bears roster in a depleted state.

Final takeaways from the Trestman news

Good luck Chargers, you might need it. That is all that can be said about the Chargers hiring Marc Trestman. The good news is, he isn’t in a big leadership role. So his negative impact on the locker room and team in general may not be that bad. However, adding someone with a history of such toxicity to a roster you are trying to build into a contender is odd. Are there not any other qualified coaches with a better track record than Trestman?

Matt Eberflus may not be the coach everyone hoped he would be at this point. But he and Ryan Poles have the Bears in a significantly better position than Trestman and Emery did in 2014.

Players like Jaylon Johnson have publicly said they want to be a Bear. The team has been trending upward in many important aspects.

Matt Eberflus has yet to prove he is a long term coaching option for the Bears. But the players seem to be on board with him so far. Coach Eberflus has also proven to be a solid defensive play caller. If Shane Waldron can elevate the offense, the Bears are in position to succeed.

Eberflus needs to do what Trestman did not, take accountability and learn from his mistakes If he can do that the Bears will be looking good.