Bears DC Pagano: Not motivated to be HC

New Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano told reporters he's not motivated to be an NFL head coach again. "I'm not. I've done it," Pagano said after being introduced Thursday. "I'm motivated to just help (head) coach Matt Nagy be successful. Help this organization be successful. Help these kids grow and develop.

"That's my motivation is to be the best I can be for this organization, for the McCaskey family, for Coach Nagy and for these players and for these coaches and help develop these guys. That's the only thing I want to do." Pagano, who was the Indianapolis Colts' head coach from 2012 to 2017, interviewed for head-coach openings with the Green Bay Packers in December and Denver Broncos in January. The Denver job went to Vic Fangio, whom Pagano is replacing as the Bears' defensive coordinator. Green Bay hired Matt LaFleur.

Earlier in Thursday's press conference, Pagano was asked if being the Bears' defensive coordinator is more appealing to him than being a head coach elsewhere. His response suggested he doesn't miss the administrative aspects of the leading role. "There's many times when I was sitting in that chair, you know, I said, 'Boy, I wish I was a defensive coordinator again. Man do I wish I was a secondary coach,'" Pagano said with a laugh. "It wasn't nothing to do with coaching. It wasn't nothing to do with the football part of it. It's just some of the other stuff that comes with it."

Pagano spent the 2018 season out of coaching after being fired by the Colts, with whom he went 53-43 across six seasons. He has just one year of NFL coordinator experience -- 2011 with the Baltimore Ravens -- after spending three years as the Ravens' secondary coach from 2008-10. In Chicago, he takes over a unit that finished first in points allowed and third in yards allowed this season. Pagano expects a relatively seamless transition, as the players will have some familiarity with the schemes he's run in the past.

"There's a lot of carryover," Pagano said. "I come from a 3-4 background and system, so we're not going to try to jam square pegs into round holes. There is a ton of talent here. They've built one heck of a roster." --Field Level Media