The Chicago Bears might be a corporation in many respects given their size and overall value as a franchise. Yet it is still a family-run organization. That is how the McCaskeys have operated for a long time. When George McCaskey took over in 2011, his first big hire at GM was Phil Emery, a man who’d been in the family before as a scout before ending up in Kansas City. McCaskey wanted somebody who understood the franchise and believed in it. While the mentality was fine, the choice was not.
Since then people haven’t wanted any part of former Bears options at the GM job. That being said, there is still a possible loophole for McCaskey. Perhaps a legacy pick. It is possible GM Ryan Pace is out after the end of the regular season next month. With Justin Fields front and center in their plans, finding a replacement would be a top priority. Somebody ownership can trust to give the young quarterback a chance to thrive.
There is no shortage of potential suitors.
However, nobody ever said it was a crime for the Bears to think big. Maybe they should consider trying to target a top executive that is already running their own team. It’s not like the organization hasn’t done this in the past. Jim Finks was in charge of the Minnesota Vikings when George Halas pried him away in 1974. Maybe his grandson should take a page from that playbook. If so, the first name to call must be Duke Tobin.
When discussing the best GMs in the NFL, his name rarely comes up. That is because the 51-year old is technically not a GM. He’s the Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel. Yet most agree he has run the front office of that franchise since all the way back in 1999. During that time he’s done some outstanding work in the draft.
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- Justin Smith
- Chad Johnson
- T.J. Houshmandzadeh
- Carson Palmer
- Johnathan Joseph
- Andrew Whitworth
- Geno Atkins
- A.J. Green
- Marvin Jones
- Tyler Boyd
- Joe Mixon
- Joe Burrow
- Tee Higgins
- Ja’Marr Chase
Not only has Tobin proven capable of finding quarterbacks but also building around them with weapons and protection.
Chicago Bears should know the Tobin family well
Duke’s father is Bill Tobin, a former longtime Bears scout who became their de facto GM from 1987 to 1992. He was a key part of their personnel department when they built the eventual Super Bowl champion team in 1985. Vince Tobin, Duke’s uncle, replaced Buddy Ryan as the Bears’ defensive coordinator in 1986. He ended up fielding five top 10 units between then and his departure in ’92.
So the McCaskey family should have fond memories of what the Tobin family did for the Chicago Bears. Duke has long been rumored as a possible GM target for other teams. Thus far nobody has made a strong enough push to pry him away from Cincinnati. Ownership there seems quite comfortable with him in charge. For good reason. Despite still being relatively young, the guy has two decades of experience running a personnel department.
Combined with his family connection to the team, this feels like a no-brainer.
No doubt it would take a significant push. Not just in terms of money but also organizational power. At this stage, the McCaskeys are probably willing to offer just about anything short of transferring ownership of the franchise. Tobin is as proven as they come when it comes to running an NFL front office. After years of trying first-timers, maybe they should stop messing around and take a big swing.
