ESPN reported Wednesday that Carroll was expressing interest in the Bears head coach position after the team fired Matt Eberflus after Thanksgiving.

Do the Bears regret not trying to hire Harbaugh last year? Carroll, while much older, is one of the few candidates in the same mold.

“He runs more than we do,” Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall, who played for Carroll last year, told the Sun-Times on Thursday. “He comes out on the field and he’ll be running 100 [-yard dashes] and throwing deep balls.

Pete Carroll coaching Caleb Williams and the Bears would be quite a story, but would it be a good fit? Let’s talk about the Adam Schefter bombshell report.

Prior to his time in Seattle, Carroll famously led the USC Trojans to two national championships as the school's head coach. Carroll also led the Seahawks to a 137-98 record, including winning the franchise's first Super Bowl title.

The timing might not be right for a 73-year-old defensive-minded coach. But Carroll’s candidacy is a reminder of how much the Bears need someone like him — an energetic, aggressive personality who would shake things up at Halas Hall.