Former Bears coach Lovie Smith interviewed for three NFL head-coaching vacancies but the respective clubs picked other candidates.
And while two openings remain, Smith isn't believed to be a candidate for either. 
So Smith is expected to sit out the 2013 NFL season and reconsider his options next offseason, according to a league source.
But Smith will still collect a handsome paycheck.
The Bears owe him what is believed to be at least $5 million for the 2013 season, and they'll have to pay him the entire salary.
While some have speculated that Smith would be a strong defensive coordinator candidate, Smith will not go that route, opting instead to take the first break of his coaching career, since he started at his alma mater, Big Sandy High School, in 1980.
After the Bears fired him following a 10-6 season, Smith immediately became a candidate for several NFL openings. He interviewed with the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. But the Bills hired Doug Marrone, the Chargers hired Mike McCoy and the Eagles hired Chip Kelly.
What happened to the 4 or 5 teams that were salivating to hire Lovie after his stellar career with the Bears?
Maybe Jerry Angelo will hire him........ oh yeah, he doesn't have a job either.....
It's so nice to be vindicated in what I knew to be true for so long..........
I just wish the Bears ownership had come to their senses six years ago so I wouldn't have wasted my life watching Lovie and Angelo grasp at straws all this time
You know Lovie was just so impressive and he loved the fans so much I can't believe nobody hired him. He was a stand up guy who loved the fans and faced the music when his time came. That press conference he gave to say goodbye to the fans and thank the bears for the chance to be a head coach for 9 years, was amazing. Oh wait the spineless coward didn't do that, he ran away and said nothing. Granted only like a third the fans supported him in the end but thats still like a million people easy. Not good enough to deserve his thanks for their support, guys like Kevin and Brando who just loved him.
What a spineless move, after all the grief he gave the evil media he just ran from them. I thought he was suppose to be a standup guy, but in the end he refused to standup. I think other teams may have noticed that, as well as his lack of any offensive knowledge, and his zero personality.
Con artist, what did Hester say? He taught him to be a man. Hmmmm, what did Hester say right after Lovie was fired? He was going to run away basically. I guess he did teach Hester something, being a man had nothing to do with it. At least Hester faced the media, Lovie couldn't even do that. He was a bully in the media room and when it came time to face the music, he ran too.
You take a head coaching job in the nfl, and you are going to be dealing with the media, it's part of the job. Your going to deal with fans that is also part of the job. Lovie didn't want to do either. He didn't want to think about the offense, the fans or the media, he just wanted to play with his defense. He was no head coach, he was a jerk with a clipboard perpetrating his own little about how the fans are evil, the media is evil, and everyone is against us. No Lovie it was just a lot of people did not like you, because you were kind of jerk to a lot of people. And when the #### hit the fan you always hid behind someone or something, you ran and you hid from it. You never faced the music.
Ever seen a Bill Belichick press conference? Ditka used to terrorize reporters after games, especially when the Bears lost, but he won the division most years, went to three NFC Championship games, and won a Super Bowl.
I agree that players and coaches shouldn't be jerks to the fans (we are paying their salaries), including the media who ask them questions on our behalf, but that has nothing to do with winning or losing. I'll take Belichick over a media- and fan-friendly coach any day.
Never said a thing about winning or losing, I just pointed out what Lovie did when he left. I also pointed out how players mimic coaches after some time, the Bears became well known for making excuses and Devin pulled a Lovie and wanted to run and hide. Because Lovie made him a man.
Lovie is so well considered, where is his new job. The Jags just hired a DC, it sure wasn't Lovie. Don't worry I am sure Jerry Jones will give him a call at some point.