The Bears on Wednesday interviewed Glenn Cook for their general manager position and Doug Pederson for their head-coaching job.
Cook has spent the past six seasons with the Browns as assistant director of pro scouting (2016-19) and vice president of player personnel (2020-present). In his current role, he works closely with executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry.
Prior to joining the Browns, Cook served as a scouting assistant with the Colts (2011-12) and a pro scout with the Packers (2012-15).
Before transitioning into player personnel, Cook was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Miami, his alma mater, helping with linebackers and defensive linemen and aiding in recruiting efforts.
As a player, Cook was a four-year letter-winning linebacker from 2004-08 at Miami, where he registered 185 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles while appearing in 47 games with 17 starts.
After college, Cook was selected by the Cubs in the 46th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft and played in 34 rookie-league games for the club.
Pederson, meanwhile, has 25 years of NFL experience, 13 as a quarterback and 12 as a coach. He most recently spent five seasons as Eagles head coach from 2016-20, compiling a record of 42-37-1 in the regular season and 4-2 in the playoffs and leading the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship in 2017.
Pederson began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles on Andy Reid's staff as offensive quality control coach (2009-10) and quarterbacks coach (2011-12). When Reid became head coach of the Chiefs in 2013, he brought Pederson with him, hiring him as offensive coordinator. Pederson served in that role from 2013-15 before being named Eagles head coach in 2016.
As a player, Pederson entered the NFL in 1991 with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent. He ultimately appeared in 100 games with 17 starts over 13 seasons with the Dolphins (1992-94), Packers (1995-98), Eagles (1999) and Browns (2000) before returning for a second stint with Green Bay (2001-04).
All 17 of Pederson's career starts came in back-to-back seasons—nine with the Eagles in 1999 and eight with the Browns in 2000. He threw nine of his 12 career touchdown passes in those two campaigns.
Pederson won a Super Bowl ring in 1996 as the Packers' third-string quarterback behind Brett Favre and Jim McMahon. When he led the Eagles to the championship 21 years later, Pederson became the fourth individual to win a Super Bowl as a player and coach, joining Tom Flores, Mike Ditka and Tony Dungy.
Cook and Pederson are the first candidates that have been interviewed by the Bears' search team, which consists of Chairman George H. McCaskey, President/CEO Ted Phillips, NFL Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, Bears vice president of player engagement LaMar "Soup" Campbell and Bears senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion Tanesha Wade.
