Vegas marks John DeFilippo as odds-on favorite to become next Bears head coach

As the head coaching search for the Chicago Bears continues, several names have been thrown out as potential candidates for the position. From offensive gurus to defensive-minded coaches, the Bears have displayed interest in several different coaches.

However, just under a week since the Bears fired John Fox, an odds-on favorite for the job seems to be emerging.

That coach? Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.

Sascha Paruk, editor of Sports Betting Dime, gave the 39-year-old coach 5/2 odds of being hired as the 19th head coach in Chicago Bears franchise history.

The early favorite to be the next Bears head coach is John DeFilippo (5/2 odds), who’s currently the QB coach with the Eagles. Steve Wilks (Panthers DC) has also been rumored, as has Dennis Allen (Saints DC), but this team needs an offensive-minded boss to get the most out of Mitchell Trubisky. Offering DeFilippo the OC job under Wilks likely won’t fly, since Wilks is also getting interest from the Cardinals in a seller’s market.

Matthew Jordan of Sports Book Review has DeFilippo as the favorite with -310 odds as a part of the field.

DeFilippo would lead the list of field candidates; he’s considered the guy who helped turn Carson Wentz into an MVP candidate with the Eagles this season in Wentz’s second year. Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy also has been linked with the Bears opening. Ditto Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Both Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and DC Dennis Allen have ties to Pace from his Saints days. I think the Bears want DeFilippo so I’m taking the field.

Eric Galko of Optimum Scouting also noted that DeFilippo to the Bears is a smart bet.

DeFilippo, nicknamed “Flip”, has served as the Eagles’ quarterback coach for the past two seasons. He played a crucial role in the second-year development of Carson Wentz, so Chicago hiring him would prove that they are expecting the same out of their own young quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky. Under Flip’s guidance this year, Wentz ended up throwing for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 13 games. His passer rating increased from 79.3 in 2016 to 101.9, which was the fourth-highest rating in the NFL.

In 2015, DeFilippo was the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns. He was not brought back after the season’s end, but that had more to do with a change at head coach than a failure on his part. With an offense led by Josh McCown (and, on occasion, Johnny Manziel) and featuring players like Travis Benjamin, Andrew Hawkins and Gary Barnidge as leading weapons, Cleveland finished the year with 4,156 passing yards. McCown and Manziel combined for a 2.0 interception percentage, and both Barnidge and Benjamin finished with over 900 receiving yards.

DeFilippo has created a lot of buzz over the past couple of weeks. It seems as if Vegas is giving into the hype.