For a legend like Mike Singletary, football isn’t just a sport but rather a DNA strand. After his Hall of Fame playing career, including the iconic 1984 Super Bowl triumph with the Chicago Bears, his stint as a head coach of the SF 49ers was a rollercoaster of tough love and viral post-game rants. Since then, he’s been largely away from the spotlight, taking roles of a defensive assistant and linebacker coach. Yet, the fire isn’t out. 

In a recent sit-down with TMZ Sports, the Super Bowl champion was asked if he would ever consider putting the whistle back on. And his response wasn’t a canned corporate answer. 

“In the right situation, absolutely, you always look at an opportunity to do something that really makes a difference,” Singletary said. “But coaching, as you know, is a very hard job, and it’s got to be a situation where things are in place to succeed.” 

Translation? Singletary isn’t looking to just “fill a seat”; instead, he’s looking for a foundation. Though he’s been away from coaching since 2019, it was in 2021 that he realized that coaching might not be his destiny. Interestingly, he had just lost the defensive coordinator job to Sean Desai in Chicago.

In January of 2021, Singletary was interviewed by the Bears’ then-coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace for the available defensive coordinator position. For some reason, the franchise decided to go a different direction. But that didn’t disappoint Samurai Mike; he considered it a first step towards his return to the league.

“Since leaving the 49ers, there’s a lot of work that I needed to do in order to not just be another coach in the league,” he said at the time. “I don’t want to be a coach looking for another gig. I want to be a great coach. I want to be one of the greatest coaches ever.”

Unfortunately, that ‘right’ opportunity never knocked on his door. The same year, a local company reached out, asking for his help in tackling the healthcare crisis that plagued the Windy City’s South and West sides. After a somber tour of the neighborhoods, Singletary decided to change his career trajectory. When his initial business partnership eventually didn’t work out, he took matters into his own hands. He founded a nonprofit, ‘Changing Our Perspective,’ aimed at closing the widening gap between the haves and have-nots. 

His post-NFL life has been much about making a difference. Though he’s selective about his own future (if he returns to football), he’s been keeping a keen eye on the current sensation of the Windy City: head coach Ben Johnson. 

Mike Singletary praises the Bears under Ben Johnson’s regime 

With the turnaround in Chicago in a year, going from the bottom of the NFC North at 5-12 to the top at 11-4, they proved hiring Ben Johnson was the best decision. He has become the ‘it’ guy, which isn’t a surprise because he was the engine behind the Lions’ high-powered offense for three seasons. The Bears brought him with the vision to develop the 2024 No. 1 draft pick, Caleb Williams, and he succeeded with flying colors. 

Singletary believes Johnson has been “exceptional” in his debut season with the Bears. But he’s been especially impressed by the second-year quarterback, commanding the ropes. 

“For me, he’s one of the quarterbacks right now, the young quarterback that’s a really bright spot in the league,” said the Hall of Famer. “And I think right now, Caleb Williams, there’s a lot of energy coming off some of the things he’s been able to do. Just very exciting to see.”

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Singletary is confident that the Bears have found their franchise quarterback in Williams. It’s the same person who previously believed the Bears “don’t play with the passion that they are playing for something.” But now, under the new regime of Johnson, he’s looking forward to the playoffs. With the playoff berth already secured, the team has now clinched the NFC North title for the first time since 2018.