John Fox is out as the Bears head coach the day after he finished his third consecutive losing season.
Ryan Pace has informed John Fox he will not return as our head coach in 2018.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 1, 2018
Fox — 5-11 after Sunday's 23-10 loss to the Vikings — never won more than six games in a season in Chicago and went 14-34 (.292) as the Bears coach.
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Since Lovie Smith was fired after a 10-6 2012 season, the Bears have gone five seasons without a winning record.
When Chicago hired Fox in January 2015, it did so with a lot of optimism after Fox led the Broncos to four consecutive AFC West titles. But he never won a playoff game in Denver, leading to his departure from the Broncos.
Now, he leaves with second-worst winning percentage of any coach in the Bears' hallowed history, behind only Abe Gibron, who had a .274 winning percentage.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace will lead the search for a new head coach. Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could be considered for a promotion.
If the Bears go outside the organization, Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could be options. The Bears would likely want to hire an offensive mind to help develop rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.