Bears Offseason Preview Part One: Pivotal Year for Ryan Poles
“There’s going to be some names that you don’t expect, some that will surprise you.” – Ryan Poles
This will be a critical offseason for Poles, one which will determine his immediate and long-term future as an NFL executive. The Bears unexpectedly regressed in 2024, losing 10 of their last 11 games while firing head coach Matt Eberflus after a devastating loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The GM tends to throw conventionalism to the wind when making decisions, and that concerns fans who want the Bears to select the best candidate. Team president Kevin Warren will assist Poles in his search, and the two are expected to interview as many as 20 candidates.
Things started poorly today when Chairman George McCaskey was asked about the contractual alignment between the GM and head coach.
“I don’t think that’s a factor,” McCaskey replied. “Our structure is vertical. Coach reports to GM, GM reports to the president, president reports to the chairman.”
In other words, who fills those positions is not as important as the structural hierarchy. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but coaches won’t want to sign with the Bears if they believe there is instability in the front office. McCaskey doesn’t think that matters.
“I haven’t ever experienced anyone saying that,” McCaskey added. “Usually, they just want the job.”
And that’s how you end up with the string of poor coaches under McCaskey that also included Marc Trestman, John Fox, and Matt Nagy. I would say that line of thinking probably gives Thomas Brown a leg up on the competition. He’s inexpensive as far as head coaches go, and he has no problem with the status quo. Why should he? The Bears are likely his only shot at a head coaching opportunity.
So Poles will hire the head coach under the parameters currently in place, whether he is a lame duck GM or not.
“I’ll end up selecting the coach,” Poles said. “I’m taking the lead on that. George and Kevin have put me in charge of that. And that’ll be the relationship between the coach and [me].”
What is he looking for in a head coach?
“Clear vision,” Poles added. “Developmental mindset, really good game management, and a plan to develop the quarterback.”
So, Poles will cast a wide net, and the list of candidates will narrow quickly. The initial list is deep and also significant. A couple of candidates have previous experience, but most have never ascended past the coordinator level. That may well work to Brown’s advantage, too.
Head Coach Interview Requests That We Know Of
- Joe Brady
- Thomas Brown
- Pete Carroll
- Brian Flores
- Aaron Glenn
- Ben Johnson
- Mike Kafka
- Mike McCarthy
- Todd Monken
- Drew Petzing
- David Shaw
- Arthur Smith
- Anthony Weaver
- Mike Vrabel
Poles has more to do than just find the right fit as head coach. He has 32 free agents who may not be back next season, and he also has to worry about the draft. The Bears earned the No. 10 pick this year but also own the 39th pick that originally belonged to the Panthers. Chicago also gets the 41st selection, which is the 10th pick of the second round. Poles has eight selections in total but will likely add picks by trading down if an opportunity presents itself. He’ll have a number of suitors for any of his top three choices, especially in a draft where the top quarterbacks will drop to the second round.
Bears fans would like to see Poles stop getting overly cute when it comes to selecting coaches and players. As I said earlier, he’s much more contrarian than most executives. It’s been nothing but damning so far, whether it was retaining Eberflus after last season or making questionable selections in the draft. Poles hasn’t had the mid-to-late-round success that Ryan Pace had during his tenure. Velus Jones, Dominique Robinson, and Kiran Amegadjie are perfect examples, though Austin Booker could be a diamond in the rough. Poles is much better at managing the cap than Pace was, however.
The quote by Poles at the top of this article scares me. The most obvious fits for Chicago’s opening are Johnson, Brady, Vrabel, and Carroll. Some reports say Poles is enamored with Weaver, and he has a solid friendship with Flores that may give the Vikings DC an advantage over other candidates. It wouldn’t be surprising if Poles selects somebody way off the radar. It probably won’t be Nagy, but other than Fox and probably Dave Wannestedt, that’s how this organization has conducted business since kicking Mike Ditka to the curb three decades ago. Unpredictable means inexpensive, but it also means someone unwilling to rock the boat. That would seemingly eliminate Johnson almost immediately. It may not bode well for Carroll, either, because he probably wants a say in personnel decisions.
The long list of candidates will also provide a lengthy discourse about what the front office needs to do to resurrect the organization. Poles, Warren, and probably McCaskey, will listen intently before trying to find solutions on their own. That’s the order of operations at Halas Hall, right? Build an extensive list of honest opinions, and bullet point them for the next man up. Instead of finding a fixer, the McCaskeys find a warm body and give them the playbook, regardless of past experience or understanding of the challenge ahead. Poles, if he is telling the truth, has a chance to change that way of thinking. He should for his own good. His future as an NFL executive, whether with the Bears or eventually elsewhere, rests solely on his ability to immediately change the future and culture of this team.
