The Chicago Bears aren’t ignorant of the pressure they will face over the next several weeks. Team president Kevin Warren admitted that the hiring of the next head coach could impact the organization for the next 10, 15, or 20 years. They cannot afford to get it wrong. That is why it is puzzling to many that Warren seems comfortable with the idea of letting GM Ryan Poles lead the search. This is the same man who hired Matt Eberflus three years ago, who may have a case for being the worst head coach in franchise history.
Why would the Bears be willing to trust Poles gets it right the second time?
That is especially true when early indications are that top coaching candidates are wary of his place inside the organization. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune spoke to an NFL executive, and it appears questions are already being asked about why Poles is safe when he had an equal hand in this team’s terrible state.
Said one former AFC executive: “What big-time coach is going to sign up, no questions asked, to work with Ryan Poles right now? If you are a serious candidate, you’ll need to ask yourself — and more importantly them — what is the level of belief in Ryan and where exactly does it stem from?
“It sounds harsh. But the first question I’m asking is, ‘Why does he get to save his job?’ And I’d want to walk away with absolutely zero reservations about their answer.”
This is the precise concern many had about retaining Poles. Top coaching candidates would likely shy away from the Bears job, knowing the GM is on the hot seat. That doesn’t even get into the fact he only has one year left on his contract and a rather underwhelming draft record to this point.
It’s a fair assumption that George McCaskey would prefer not to fire the GM. After all, the team chairman was the central reason Poles got hired in the first place. McCaskey personally picked him up from the airport. It is clear the owner has lots of faith in him. So does quarterback Caleb Williams, who offered a vocal show of support this week. Unfortunately, that doesn’t do much to change the situation. Several signs suggest the top coaching candidates would prefer to be aligned with general managers they trust or are familiar with.
If true, that narrows the Bears’ list of potential options to those who know Ryan Poles personally or those who aren’t bothered by his murky job status. The last time this happened, Chicago ended up with Matt Nagy. Poles doesn’t have many prominent coaching connections. Brian Flores is one. They were teammates at Boston College. Eric Bieniemy and Dave Toub are two others. Ian Cunningham could put him in touch with guys like Duce Staley and Matt Burke. It isn’t ideal
