Following the Ravens’ thrilling divisional round loss to the Patriots last night, Baltimore offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is free to speak with other clubs regarding their head coaching vacancies, and though we’ve heard the Jets want to interview the OC, it appears another team has more serious interest. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link), the Bears are set to make a “major push” to hire Kubiak as their new head coach, replacing the fired Marc Trestman.
As our head coaching search tracker shows, the Bears have been linked to eight candidates — Kubiak and the Broncos’ Adam Gase are the only offensive coordinators on the list (though Mike Shanahan and Doug Marrone both have offensive backgrounds). Chicago hired Ryan Pace as its general manager on Thursday, so it’s fair to assume that the former Saints executive is a fan of Kubiak; now that Pace’s voice is being heard at Bears headquarters, the search for Trestman’s successor will presumably ramp up.
In Kubiak’s first season as its play-caller, the Ravens finished eighth in points per game, 12th in yards, and ninth in DVOA. Baltimore finished 29th, 25th, and 30th, respectively, in those same metrics in 2013, so Kubiak’s influence on the offense is undeniable. As the Texans’ head coach from 2006-13, Kubiak posted a record of 61-64, earning two postseason berths. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested yesterday the Kubiak, who enjoys coaching in Baltimore and has friends in the organization, might not be interested in taking any head coaching interviews, preferring to remain with the Ravens.