Marc Trestman fired by Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have fired Marc Trestman after just two seasons as head coach, per a team announcement. The team came into the year with high expectations and fell short, going just 5-11 and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

After the Bears hired him in 2013, Trestman led the team to an 8-8 record and a second-place finish in the NFC North. But the team took a step backward in 2014. Although they won two of their first three games, the Bears proceeded to lose five of their next six, including two to the rival Green Bay Packers. A two-game winning streak over the Minnesota Vikings and the Bucs was only a brief respite before hapless performances on national television against the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, all but sealing Trestman's fate.

The Bears finished the season on a five-game losing streak amid constant rumors of dysfunction in the locker room. Trestman elected to bench starting quarterback Jay Cutler in the second-to-last game of the season in an attempt to provide a spark to the offense and potentially save his own job. However, the Bears decided the problems with the team ultimately rested with the coaching staff.

Before coming to Chicago, Trestman had last coached in the Canadian Football League, where he led the Montreal Alouettes to the Grey Cup in 2009 and 2010 and was named the 2009 Coach of the Year. Previously, he served as offensive coordinator at North Carolina State and assistant head coach with the Miami Dolphins. Prior to his work with Miami, Trestman was the offensive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders when the team won the AFC Championship in 2002 and ultimately lost to Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Trestman worked with Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, who was named NFL MVP. The Raiders also led the NFL in total offense that season.