The Chicago Bears have officially hired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator, the team announced Tuesday. Waldron replaces Luke Getsy, who was fired after two seasons.
The Bears cast a wide net of candidates for the vacancy, which included a number of experienced play callers and young coaches on the rise. Ultimately, Waldron proved to be the best fit for head coach Matt Eberflus.
“We are excited to add Shane to our coaching staff,” Eberflus said, via ChicagoBears.com. “I also want to thank all the candidates we spoke to throughout the interview process. This was a very exhaustive search, but in the end I’m grateful the journey led us to Shane. He is a great teacher and communicator with a diverse coaching background among some of the game’s most elite head coaches. I look forward to partnering with him as we build out the rest of the staff and get him started here.”
Waldron brings a lot of experience to the table, which includes three years calling plays for Seattle. His other stops included the Los Angeles Rams (2017-20), Washington Redskins (2016) and New England Patriots (2008-09).
Waldron took over as Seahawks offensive coordinator in 2021, which marked Russell Wilson’s final season with the Seahawks after underwhelming results. But Waldron’s star has risen given the work he’s done with Geno Smith, who has proven to be a viable replacement in Seattle.
“I appreciate this opportunity given to me by Coach Eberflus and Ryan Poles,” Waldron said, via ChicagoBears.com. “We can’t wait to get to work at a franchise with such a storied history and passionate fan base.”
Waldron is reportedly already hard at work assembling his staff. According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, Waldron is setting up interviews with some former Seahawks coaches — Chad Morton, Sanjay Lal and Kerry Joseph, among others — for staff positions.