Bears hire Shane Waldron as OC

The Chicago Bears hired former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron for the same role, the team announced Tuesday.

Waldron was hired by Pete Carroll in 2021 and was with Seattle for the last three seasons. He held various offensive coaching positions under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, including quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, for four campaigns before landing with the Seahawks.

The 44-year-old has three years of offensive play-calling experience. Former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson approved of Waldron's hire in 2021 due to his willingness to run an up-tempo offense, according to ESPN.

Waldron played a crucial role in resurrecting Geno Smith's career and helped the 33-year-old make the Pro Bowl in 2022. Seattle's offense ranked 10th in points per game that season, and Smith set career highs in passing yards and touchdowns.

The Bears and head coach Matt Eberflus interviewed many candidates for the job, including former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Greg Roman, and Thomas Brown. The Los Angeles Chargers blocked an interview request for their offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Waldron will be in charge of revamping a Bears offense that hasn't ranked in the top 10 in scoring since 2018. Chicago currently holds the No. 1 overall pick, which could be used on a new franchise quarterback.