Putting a new general manager in place should bring clarity to the Chicago Bears’ head coaching search.
And if all else fails, candidates will do it themselves:
If anyone is wondering, Dennis Allen is at the Payton presser. Not currently in Chicago.
— Larry Holder (@LarryHolder) January 25, 2022
Dennis Allen, who was supposed to be interviewing *TODAY* with the Bears for their head-coach opening, wasn’t doing so. Or if he was, he definitely wasn’t doing an in-person chat.
That’s because, as The Athletic’s Larry Holder reports, Allen was at Sean Payton’s retirement (?) press conference.
UPDATE — It was canceled on the Bears end because they were focusing on finalizing the Ryan Poles deal:
Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's interview with the Bears, set for today, was canceled, sources say. So he was in New Orleans for Sean Payton's final day on the job.
Chicago called the interview off, because they were focused on getting Ryan Poles' deal done.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 25, 2022
Allen, who is the Saints defensive coordinator and was the team’s interim head coach while Payton was unavailable due to COVID protocols, figures to be an in-house replacement candidate for Payton. In fact, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport expects Allen to interview with the Saints for their top position in due time. Rapoport also name-checks Aaron Glenn, the Lions defensive coordinator who was also a candidate for that position in Chicago, as a possible name to keep tabs on for that job.
TL;DR — Adam Jahns says it best in a tweet saying: Yeah, I don’t think he’s on the interview list anymore.
So not only are the Bears competing with the Saints on the coaching circuit, they’re also losing possible candidates. Not that missing out on Allen is a huge deal at this stage of the game, especially since he was brought into the mix in the later stages. Nevertheless, losing out on Allen means one fewer name for The List™. Then again, it’s Ryan Poles’ list now:
New GM Ryan Poles – Not George McCaskey or Anyone Else – Will Pick the Next Bears Head Coachhttps://t.co/4gzzGG98tb
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 25, 2022