The Bears made it official with a news release shortly after 4 a.m. Trestman will be introduced Thursday at a 10 a.m. news conference.

Trestman is a somewhat unconventional choice, having been out of the NFL for eight years. But he also is a proven winner, having won back-to-back Grey Cup championships as coach of the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. Trestman has a 64-34 record in five years as a head coach.

In addition to having head coaching experience, Trestman is a quarterback guru who has spent most of his professional life coaching passers. Clearly, he is being brought to the Bears to get the most out of Jay Cutler and whoever else lines up under center during his tenure.

Trestman, 57, was Bernie Kosar’s quarterbacks coach at the University of Miami in 1983, when the Hurricanes won the national championship. In the NFL, Kosar, Steve Young, Scott Mitchell, Jake Plummer and Rich Gannon played well under Trestman’s guidance. Gannon won the 2002 Most Valuable Player award while being coached by Trestman on the Raiders.