Ravens' Jackson next to interview with Bears

The way previous candidates have ignored the job, the Bears might be wise not to let Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson leave Halas Hall without signing a contract to be their offensive coordinator.

Jackson, 44, is expected to interview with head coach Lovie Smith on Tuesday. He gets high marks for the work he has done with quarterback Joe Flacco, who last season became the first rookie to win two playoff games.

According to Internet reports, the window of opportunity that Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese was granted to make a deal with the Bears has come and gone.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis granted Zampese a week to decide after his interview at Halas Hall, which was two weeks ago.

Another potential candidate who interviewed with the Bears, San Diego Chargers quarterbacks coach Rob Chudzinski, also has taken himself out of the running. Former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz remains a fall-back option.

Jackson was the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator in 2007 under Bobby Petrino, but he did not call plays. He also was the Washington Redskins' offensive coordinator in 2003.