First & Long: McCaskey Dysfunction Reaches New Lows, Johnson Unlikely to Join Bears, Brown May Join Vrabel in New England

The McCaskeys are no strangers to incompetence, but the family may have reached a new low this week.

A recent article by Kalyn Kahler of ESPN paints the Bears’ executive staff in a very bad light during the team’s most recent head coaching searches. The gist of it is that Trace Armstrong and his agency – Athlete’s First – have represented two fired Bears head coaches, Matt Nagy and Eberflus; three fired offensive coordinators, Mark Helfrich, Luke Getsy, and Shane Waldron, as well as current general manager Ryan Poles. It reads as if Armstrong was a defacto team executive while Ted Phillips was running things.

“I’ve never seen one agent have so much influence on one team and had so little success, but they keep going back and taking his guys,” said one coaching agent, who requested anonymity to speak freely on the topic. “And we all kind of shake our heads. Have they not figured this out yet?”

Armstrong’s track record has been poor, to say the least. Chicago has also cycled through three franchise quarterbacks in that time: Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and now Caleb Williams. It’s no wonder that Poles has left no stone unturned in its search for their next head coach. Chicago’s GM has interviewed at least 15 candidates so far, and most analysts believe Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson are the current favorites. That news was dropped on Friday by Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, but it seems to be a bit of a stretch. The front office interviewed Joe Brady and Todd Monken after Schultz’s report. If it is down to two candidates, Poles reportedly prefer Johnson, though those reports are unsourced and also sketchy.

.@Schultz_Report says the Chicago Bears head coaching search is a two-horse race between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson pic.twitter.com/Y4x0lx6iP8

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 16, 2025

“It’s been made clear to me that, for all intents and purposes, the Chicago job — and I haven’t said this publicly — is a two-horse race between Mike McCarthy and Ben Johnson,” Jordan Schultz said. “If Brian Flores goes in and wows them, then he is still in that mix. But right now, I think McCarthy and I think Ben Johnson are the two leading candidates for Chicago. It will be really interesting to see what type of direction they want to go.”

“Armstrong has had more influence with the Bears than any other team,” another unnamed source said. “That’s because he was dealing with an accountant [Phillips] that really didn’t know football people. He took advantage of that, and I give him credit for that.”

The good news is that neither McCarthy nor Johnson is connected to Armstrong, a former Bears player who was drafted by Bill Tobin in 1988. That’s the most important part of Kahler’s piece. As kingmaker, Armstrong reportedly brokered the marriage between Eberflus and Poles.

According to Kahler, “the Bears team website reported that Poles and Eberflus first met on the golf course at an event in 2020 (described as an ‘NFL growth and development summit,’ though the NFL office confirmed the league did not hold such an event in 2020, meaning it was likely an agency summit).”

Poles has previously said his intuition told him Eberflus was the right hire.

“Just two days after the 36-year-old executive was hired by the Bears in 2022 for his first general manager job, he chose Eberflus as his head coach,” Kahler continued. “Poles also interviewed veteran head coaches Dan Quinn and Jim Caldwell, but he felt most comfortable with the first-time head coach, who was also represented by [Armstrong.]”

Oddly, Armstrong also represents Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. Minnesota hired O’Connell three weeks after the Bears hired Eberflus. The Vikings have been 34-17 since 2022, while the Bears have been 15-36, and O’Connell did not interview with Poles. It’s no wonder Chicago is ending Armstrong’s organizational fiefdom.

Bears News & Notes

• The Bears called the Steelers in an attempt to interview and possibly trade for Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin. What does that tell us? I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but the front office might not be sold on McCarthy or Johnson.  Poles also recognizes the type of leader and coach Tomlin is and should be given credit for proactively contacting the Steelers. Let’s see if Chicago continues to pursue Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman after Monday night’s CFP Championship Game.
• The pursuit of Tomlin does tell us that money will not be an issue when selecting the team’s head coach. Tomlin is one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches at about $16 million annually. Finally, it tells us that Poles isn’t going to settle until he’s exhausted all possibilities.
• Why not call the Rams and ask about Sean McVay?
• Sports radio veteran George Ofman reported that Johnson and Aaron Glenn will not be coming to Chicago. He was told Johnson would choose the Raiders or Jaguars, while Glenn appears to be headed to the Jets. Ofman has reliable sources, and though he added the caveat “Nothing is for certain,” fans should be prepared for that news. He also wondered aloud if the Bears would pursue Freeman.
• Brian Flores will interview with the Bears today. Green Bay OC Adam Stenavich is also scheduled to meet with Chicago’s brass.
• Interim head coach Thomas Brown may join Mike Vrabel in New England as the Patriots’ new offensive coordinator.
• Eberflus met with the Falcons to discuss their defensive coordinator position.

There’s a Flag…On the Play

Here’s how Mike Tomlin fired offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Hard pass.

How Mike Tomlin fired Bruce Arians

Footage from NFL Films “A Football Life” and HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (Andrea Kremer interview).

Note – I’m just sharing the videos, not trying to make any statement.

Go to 1:45 mark if you only want to hear what happened pic.twitter.com/YnTGCv9Szb

— Steel City Star (@steelcitystar) January 17, 2025

Northern Exposure

• Detroit: David Montgomery is rejoining Jahmyr Gibbs in the Lions’ backfield for Saturday’s game against the Commanders. Montgomery was initially diagnosed with a season-ending knee injury.
• Minnesota: J.J. McCarthy is expected to compete for the Vikings’ opening at starting quarterback, but nothing is guaranteed. Sam Darnold is a free agent, and Minnesota signed Daniel Jones earlier this season. The Vikings acquired the No. 10 pick from the Jets in the 2024 draft specifically to select McCarthy.
• Green Bay: A Packers-themed movie will be released on January 31. The film premiered at Lambeau Field during the season.

NFL News & Notes

Another unnamed team also asked the Steelers about interviewing Tomlin.

Fields is positioned nicely to be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback in 2025. The Bears will host Pittsburgh next season, date to be determined in March. Imagine Tomlin coaching for the Bears against Fields and the Steelers in Soldier Field. It won’t happen, but yeah, mind blown.

The Titans announced that Mike Borgonzi will be their new GM.

Roger Goodell said an 18-game regular season is the NFL’s “next logical step.”

The NFL has imposed no additional restrictions on Tom Brady this week. He’ll be in the announcer’s booth providing color commentary for the Lions-Commanders tilt.

This weekend’s divisional playoff matchups: Texans at Chiefs | Commanders at Lions | Rams at Eagles | Ravens at Bills

My predictions: The Chiefs, Ravens, Lions, and Rams will all advance.

Two-Minute Drill

For some reason, trading D.J. Moore seems to be in vogue among several Bears bloggers since the season ended. Moore had a subpar season, but the criticisms that fans of Williams defend are valid with his No. 1 wide receiver, too. The Bears had two head coaches this season and three offensive coordinators. Chicago’s line looked incompetent more often than not, no matter how high PFF graded it. Sure, Moore averaged just 9.9 yards per reception, but Williams struggled to connect with anyone on deep passes. Moore was also deployed differently this year than he was in 2023.

Poles signed Moore to an extension before the start of the season. Trading him after one season with Willims seems shortsighted, especially if it means finding chemistry with a failed receiver from another organization.  Let’s pump the brakes on trading Moore until a coaching staff and game plan for 2025 are in place.

Three Yards & a Cloud of Dust

1. Travis Kelce has at least five receptions in 14 consecutive playoff games, the longest streak in NFL history.
2. Darnell Wright was tied with Lane Johnson for the fewest accepted penalties (6) this year.
3. Williams was one of five quarterbacks this season to throw for 3,500 yards, 20 touchdowns, and an interception rate of less than 1.5%. The others are Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow.

From the Podium

• “The reality is, with team success comes individual recognition. Hearing that the Bears have interest is humbling. It’s the NFL. It’s also a reminder that with team success comes individual success. I have put zero thought into coaching in the NFL. All my attention has just been getting this team prepared.” – Freeman