Former Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus issued a statement on Saturday, one day after it was announced that the team was relieving him from his position. In a statement obtained by CBS Sports, Eberflus expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work with the team:"I want to thank the McCaskey family and Ryan Poles for the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears have had 18 head coaches in the franchise’s 100-plus-year history. Some of the previous 17 were significantly more successful than others, but either way, the Bears had not ever fired a coach mid-season — until Matt Eberflus.