Bears assistant coach Dave Toub interviews with Panthers
BY SEAN JENSEN sjensen@suntimes.com
Chicago Bears v Detroit Lions
Related Stories
Like the coach who hired him at Halas Hall, Dave Toub’s tenure with the Bears could be coming to a close after nine seasons.
The Carolina Panthers interviewed Toub on Wednesday for a position under coach Ron Rivera, a league source said. Toub had been interviewed Monday for the Bears’ coaching vacancy.
Bears general manager Phil Emery said during his news conference two days after the regular season ended that most of the assistants were given a one-year contract extension to protect them and the team.
“There was always the possibility that we could make a change,” Emery said at the time. “I wanted to make sure that they felt good about the situation, could fully concentrate on the task at hand in terms of winning and getting in the playoffs and being in the championship mix. So we extended everybody.”
Toub worked with Rivera when they were assistants under Lovie Smith from 2004 to 2006.
Under Toub, the Bears consistently have fielded some of the NFL’s best special teams. He has developed numerous Pro Bowl players, most notably return specialist Devin Hester.
It’s not clear why Emery is allowing Toub to interview elsewhere. But Toub, believed to be one of the league’s highest-paid special-teams coordinators, is under contract to the Bears through 2013.
Toub is expected to draw interest from other NFL teams as well.
