Former Vikings head coach to join the Bears’ staff for 2019

Former Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress is returning to the NFL for the 2019 season as a senior assistant for the Chicago Bears.

Four years into his tenure as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, it appeared that Brad Childress had the franchise heading in the right direction.

The Vikings improved their win total in each of Childress’ first four seasons with the team and they made it all the way to the NFC Championship in 2009. But then came the 2010 season.

2010 was just a straight up disaster and it resulted in Minnesota firing Childress after an embarrassing 31-3 shellacking by the Green Bay Packers in Week 11. Since then, the former Vikings head coach has spent time as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, and he was also one of the eight original head coaches in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football league.

Currently 62-years-old, Childress is heading back to the NFC North. This time, however, it will be as a member of the Chicago Bears’ coaching staff.

The Bears announced on Wednesday that the former Minnesota head coach has joined their staff for the upcoming 2019 season as a senior offensive assistant. Childress worked with current Chicago head coach Matt Nagy when the two were both on the Chiefs’ coaching staff and now they get the opportunity to work together once again.

Despite his departure taking place almost a decade ago, the Vikings still have a connection to Childress on their current coaching staff. New Minnesota offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski got his first job with the franchise back in 2006 when Childress became the team’s head coach.

When Stefanski was being considered for the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching vacancy earlier this year, there was actually a report that came out revealing that Childress was going to potentially join his former assistant on the Browns’ staff if Stefanski ended up getting the job.

That never came to fruition and now both will be on opposite sidelines twice in 2019 when the Vikings and Bears face off in their annual NFC North matchups.