Not only are the Chicago Bears interested in former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, but the Monsters of the Midway are rolling out the red carpet for their old rival.
McCarthy, a Super Bowl-winning coach and tormentor of Bears fans during his 13 years with the Green Bay Packers, was flown by private jet to Illinois, unlike the 16 other candidates considered in Chicago.
As reported by Athletic's Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbainonly McCarthy and former Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera have received in-person interviews.
Meanwhile, people like Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, They were interviewed remotely, according to Jahns.
Of course, McCarthy was the only one who was picked up on a private jet, taken to an executive landing strip and allowed to spend the night in the area before his return flight on Thursday, according to The Athletic.
A Bears spokesperson declined to confirm or deny The Athletic's reports when contacted by DailyMail.com.
Now former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy walks the field on January 5.
The development of Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams (pictured) will be the top priority for the next coach following the Bears' fourth straight losing season.
One possible explanation is that coordinators like Johnson and Monken have been busy preparing for playoff games with their current employers, although that wouldn't explain why Carroll wasn't given an in-person interview.
McCarthy met with the Bears two days after parting ways with Dallas after five years in what Cowboys owner Jerry Jones described as a mutual agreement.
McCarthy's contract expired on January 8 after a 7-10 season. Dallas was 12-5 in each of the previous three years, but has yet to advance past the divisional round of the NFC playoffs since its last Super Bowl at the end of the 1995 season.
Before accepting the Dallas job after a full season without coaching, McCarthy was with the Packers for 13 seasons and had a 125-77-2 record from 2006 to 2018. He went 10-8 in the playoffs and led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title 14 years ago.
The Bears are looking to replace Matt Eberflus, who was fired on Nov. 29. Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 5-12 and lost 10 in a row before closing the season with a win at Green Bay.
The development of quarterback Caleb Williams will be the top priority for the next coach following the Bears' fourth straight losing season. The top pick in last year's draft threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. But he was sacked a franchise-record and league-leading 68 times.
Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California, appeared sitting courtside Saturday at the Wisconsin-USC men's basketball game in Los Angeles with his right hand either in a cast or bandaged. It went from the bottom of the knuckles to below the wrist.
A person familiar with the situation said Williams underwent a minor elective procedure. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team and Williams have not commented on the matter. General manager Ryan Poles did not mention Williams among the players scheduled to undergo surgery during his season-ending news conference.
The white cast wasn't Williams' only surprise on Saturday. He also sported a buzz cut haircut.