Friday morning it seemed like business as usual Matt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears. The head coach held his regularly scheduled press conference at 9 a.m. CT as rumors swirled about his job status, and he said he planning to coach next week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

More than two hours later, news came of Eberflus’ dismissal. That led to questions about why the Bears only let him speak to reporters to make a move, and a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero revealed the reason.

It turns out that Bears is chairman George McCaskey had a meeting with the team president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poland at the same time as Eberflus’ Zoom call, Pelissero reported. Moving the press conference would have indicated that something was in the works, but by then the decision had not been officially made.

Ultimately, the trio decided to make the move and fire Eberflus after a Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions marred by a late clock management issue. It marks the first time in the Bears’ 105-year history that the franchise has made an in-season coaching move.

“This morning, after meeting with (Chairman) George (H. McCaskey) and (President and CEO) Kevin (Warren), we informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head coaching position,” Poland said in a statement announcing Eberflus’ resignation. “I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization. We express our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best for the future.”

A look at Matt Eberflus’ tenure as Bears head coach

Eberflus was in his third year in Chicago – his first head coaching job. He and Poland entered at the same time ahead of the 2022 season as the rebuild began. The Bears went 3-14 and earned the No. 1 overall pick, which they flipped to the Carolina Panthers.

Chicago went 7-10 last year, but again had the top pick because the Panthers had the worst record in the league. That brought Caleb Williams to the windy city. But the Bears made a move as offensive coordinator after the 2023 season by parting ways Luke GetsyTherefore, the future of Eberflus came into question at the time. However, the Poles made the decision to keep him after the defense turned around in the second half.

The Bears started this season with a 4-2 record, but have since lost six straight games. That includes the now infamous Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders from the bye week and a blocked field goal in the final seconds against the Green Bay Packers.

But the final blow came Thursday when Eberflus failed to call his third timeout as time expired in a 23-20 loss to the Lions. That ultimately led to Friday’s decision, which will shift Thomas Brown as interim head coach. He arrived this year as the Bears’ passing game coordinator, but became offensive coordinator two weeks ago after the Bears’ departure Shane Waldron.