Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has been in the rumor mill for the Chicago Bears head coaching position since the 2021 season began. Sunday morning brought another report of his connection to the NFL franchise.
According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, the Bears had discussions with Trace Armstrong to join the organization in a front-office role, with Day listed to join him as a potential head coach. Armstrong was a defensive end for Chicago from 1989-94.
“I have the utmost respect for the Chicago Bears organization, the McCaskey family and Ted Phillips,” Armstrong said in a tweet Sunday morning. “However, any assertion that I have engaged in conversations with them about joining the club in any capacity is simply not true.”
Armstrong is also the agent for USC head coach Lincoln Riley, LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Bears lead-man Matt Nagy, who is considered unlikely to return to the team after this season.
USA TODAY Sports reported in its annual survey of college coaching salaries that Day was the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten this year, making $6.61 million. He is also eligible for an additional $250,000 in performances bonuses due to the Buckeyes’ berth in the Rose Bowl and share of the Big Ten’s East Division title.
Day will make $7.6 million next year because of incremental raises in the contract extension he signed after his first season as Ohio State’s head coach.
Other coaches in the Big Ten signed lucrative, long-term extensions with their schools over the last month as both Michigan State’s Mel Tucker and Penn State’s James Franklin received 10-year deals worth $95 million and $75 million, respectively.
Day’s current contract will run through 2027, but athletic director Gene Smith and the Board of Trustees can revisit the contract at any point.