NEWSLETTER
I have a feeling that the word alignment will pop up a bunch between now and when the Chicago Bears hire their next head coach.
It starts at the top with President Kevin Warren discussing how he plans to work in tandem with General Manager Ryan Poles to unearth the best candidate for Chicago’s football team moving forward. Organizational alignment has already become a talking point for one potential Bears coaching candidate, with Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson relaying a message through the media that it was something he was looking for in a potential future employer. I don’t imagine he’ll be alone in wanting that from the Bears or whichever team pursues him during the offseason hiring cycle. And if I were in those shoes, I would prioritize that, too.
Alignment has been a problem with the Bears throughout George McCaskey’s tenure as the team’s chairman, particularly when it comes to having their general manager, head coach, and quarterback operating on the same timeline. A brief history lesson:
- 2012: Phil Emery replaces Jerry Angelo as GM, inherits Head Coach Lovie Smith and quarterback Jay Cutler
- 2013: Emery fires Lovie and hires Marc Trestman, who inherits Jay Cutler.
- 2015: Emery and Trestman are fired and replaced by Ryan Pace and John Fox, who inherit Jay Cutler.
- 2017: Pace drafts Mitch Trubisky, but fires Fox nine months later.
- 2018: Pace hires Matt Nagy, who inherits Mitch Trubisky.
- 2020: The Nagy-Trubisky thing isn’t working out, so the Bears trade for Nick Foles — who eventually takes a back seat to Trubisky who engineers a late-season run to get Chicago into the playoffs.
- 2021: Pace drafts Ohio State QB Justin Fields and seemingly puts the GM, coach, and QB on the same timeline.
- 2022: Pace and Nagy are fired and Matt Eberflus is hired, only for him to inherit Justin Fields.
- 2024: Bears trade Fields in March, draft Caleb Williams in November, and seem to have the QB, coach, and GM on the same timeline … only to see Eberflus fired in November.
When I wrote about it in January, I called it a toxic cycle and warned about falling into the same pattern that has yielded nothing but disappointment throughout the McCaskey regime. Sometimes, even the clearest warnings fall on deaf ears and the brightest red flags get ignored. And because the Bears didn’t take the opportunity to create organizational alignment back in January 2024, they risk entering 2025 with a problem that has plagued this franchise for more than a decade.
Unless Kevin Warren does the right thing and lines his general manager, quarterback, and head coach hire and puts them on the same timeline. The best time to do the right thing was in January, but the Bears didn’t do it then. It would behoove the team to do it now.
Organizational alignment can’t just be a buzzword if the Chicago Bears are serious about turning their franchise around. And they better understand that because The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports that coaching agents and candidates are getting a head start and boning up on the Bears’ organizational dynamic. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during those fact-finding escapades.
The Bears must evaluate Ryan Poles’ role moving forward
I am not going to use this space to advocate for Ryan Poles’ dismissal as Bears general manager. But if President Kevin Warren truly believes in organizational alignment, it would make sense if he explores a path in which he puts a new GM and head coach on the same timeline as quarterback Caleb Williams. To be clear, I am not saying that the Warren-led Bears can’t create alignment with Poles, Williams, and a head coach to be named later this offseason. It would be logical to put those three on the same track. However, if Warren does not believe in Poles moving forward, then he should not feel obligated to keep him around just because he inherited him.
After all, keeping the guy you didn’t hire just because you feel an obligation is the same trap we discussed above.
The day after a blowout loss isn’t the time to do a deep dive into Ryan Poles’ case to remain the general manager. But with that being said, that time will come soon.
There are no more scapegoats left to blame beneath Poles on the organizational chain of command. Shane Waldron was removed as the offensive coordinator in November. Matt Eberflus was dismissed as head coach, too. With those two pieces off the board, Poles enters the spotlight. This team he built has fallen well short of the expectations it created for itself in the offseason. And with that in mind, it is fair to ask if he should be tasked with building out from what remains after the smoke clears from the 2024 season.
In the end, the Bears have a ton of soul-searching to do and should get a head start on it since the postseason doesn’t appear to be in their future. What lies ahead is the potential for organizational alignment that has eluded this franchise since George McCaskey became the top boss. I’ve had just about enough of the Bears talking the talk. The time is now to walk the walk.
