The Chicago Bears vow to learn from their mistakes and get it right this time in their search for a new coach.
For now, all eyes are on general manager Ryan Poles.
“Just casting a wide net,” he said Tuesday. “I think it’s adding more data to the equation. It’s digging deeper with our research, all of those things are really important. I think also knowing the team and where it is right now, knowing it better than I ever have before, that’s important. I think as you go along you gain wisdom every single year and every single experience that you go through and that helps you make better decisions as you go.”
The Bears have a big one to make, with the search for a coach to replace the fired Matt Eberflus kicking into a higher gear after finishing the season 5-12.
They came into their third year under Poles and Eberflus thinking they had a potential playoff team after a busy offseason, highlighted by drafting quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick. Instead, they flopped. They dropped 10 straight games, firing Eberflus along the way, before ending the season by beating Green Bay for the first time since 2018.
Though team president Kevin Warren said last month that Poles would remain as general manager and lead the search for a new coach, there were still some questions about whether he would return with the losses continuing to mount.
“He’s a hard worker, he’s young, he’s talented, he’s curious,” Warren said Tuesday. “I think his greatest attribute, he’s willing as he did just in the press conference to raise his hand and say here’s some things where he fell short.”
When it comes to the coaching search, Poles said he will have final say. Warren, chairman George McCaskey and several other team executives on the football and business side will be involved.
Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson figures to be at the top of the Bears’ wish list. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady and even Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy figure to get looks. Interim Bears coach Thomas Brown also is in the mix. Poles said he is open to the idea of trading draft picks for the right candidate.
What if a potential coach wants to bring in his own general manager?
“(Poles is) our general manager,” Warren said. “He’s head of football operations. From a hypothetical standpoint, it probably wouldn’t be appropriate for me to answer that.”
And if a coach wants to report directly to ownership?
“Our structure is vertical,” McCaskey said. “Head coach reports to the general manager, general manager reports to the president, president reports to the chairman.”
The Bears are sticking with Poles despite a 15-36 record that includes two double-digit losing streaks in three seasons. They dropped their final 10 games in 2022 while in a teardown mode as part of a franchise-worst 14-game slide.
The Bears fired a head coach in season for the first time in the founding NFL franchise’s history when they let Eberflus go the day after an excruciating loss at Detroit on Thanksgiving. They also have fired two offensive coordinators in the past year, with Shane Waldron lasting just nine games after replacing Luke Getsy in the offseason. Brown, who began the season as passing game coordinator, took over for Waldron and then became interim coach a few weeks later.
Poles said learning from the mistakes made in hiring Eberflus, Getsy and Waldron will help them in this search.
“You learn from your experiences, gaining wisdom, insight into the process,” McCaskey said.
One subject that figures to come up during the interviews is Poles’ contract. It’s not clear how many years he has remaining, and he would not say if he got an extension. Some candidates might be turned off by the idea of working with a lame-duck general manager if Poles is entering the final year of his deal.
“That will be something I can address with them,” he said.
Chicago has just three playoff appearances since the 2006 team won the NFC. The Bears’ lone Super Bowl title came during the 1985 season.
But Warren, who was hired two years ago, vowed: “We will win championships here.”
Things got so bad that fans chanted “Sell the team!” during the final home game against Seattle — a 6-3 loss before a national audience on a Thursday night. McCaskey said he understood their frustration and was “more bothered” by Lions fans essentially taking over Soldier Field the previous week.
“It’s understandable that Bears fans would sell their tickets because of the way the season has gone, and the challenge for us is to put a team on the field that Bears fans are so excited about that they’re not interested in selling their tickets,” McCaskey said.
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