The Chicago Bears requested an interview with Mike McCarthy when he was still employed by the Dallas Cowboys. It was denied. Jerry Jones sent a seemingly clear signal that he wished to keep the veteran head coach in silver and blue. A few days later, news broke that McCarthy would not be returning. He’d become a free agent. Just 24 hours later, he took a private jet to Chicago, where he met with team brass for several hours. It would appear he is already a finalist for the job.
It isn’t hard to see why McCarthy would be interested. The Bears have a solid foundation with good players across the roster. Most importantly, they have a young quarterback in need of development. The head coach has a long track record of success on that front. However, there may be another reason he has eyes for the job. It is possible he sees it as an opportunity to claim something he’s never really had before, which is significant roster control. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron revealed how.
It centers around the fate of GM Ryan Poles.
McCarthy checks a lot of boxes the Bears are looking for. He’s an offensive-minded guy for Caleb Williams, he’s an experienced coach, and is he a leader of men? I think that can be questioned but he does have a history of winning which I don’t think the Bears will ignore.
The Saints are also quite interested in McCarthy as well, so it’s always possible that the Saints scoop in and land McCarthy as well. The two names that are rumored to be high on the Saints list are McCarthy and Aaron Glenn.
Also one other note about McCarthy, I think he would sign with the Bears and have no issue if the Bears don’t extend Ryan Poles.
Mike McCarthy might be playing the long game.
Some see Poles not getting a contract extension as a lack of stability. Others see it as a chance to bring in somebody more familiar after one season. McCarthy would undoubtedly have a say in that process, especially if he managed to produce a good first year in Chicago. Keep in mind throughout his 18 years as a head coach, he never had any definitive say in the makeup of his roster. In Green Bay, former GM Ted Thompson always has the final say. McCarthy was known to be frustrated with his stubborn refusal to be more active in free agency. Then, in Dallas, it was the same thing. Jerry Jones had the final say on roster decisions, and he never made aggressive moves, either.
Mike McCarthy must be thinking that if he can just wait Poles out, he can convince Kevin Warren to bring in somebody who will know how he wants the roster built—somebody willing to be aggressive when the situation calls for it. Every coach seeks the most power he can grasp. It appears McCarthy senses an opportunity in Chicago. The Bears have never given a head coach the final say on roster decisions, but he could skirt that by getting Poles replaced with a GM he’s closer to.
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@Arnie —
Consult with @Dr. Melhus.
He’s really practiced at the various red herring and strawman arguments.
Your best efforts need help.
@TGena What point are you still trying to make? You just stated a bunch of publicly known facts. If the Bears had brought Jayden Daniels (or any of the other QB’s) in for interviews at Halas Hall, you would still be bitching if the one they chose didn’t have the best rookie year stats of all the rookie QB’s. If the one the Bears drafted had the best year 1 stats, but some other team had a better W-L record with their rookie QB than the Bears did with theirs, you would bitch about that. If the Bears had hired… Read more »
@Arnie —
It seems that another national report differs with your view of the events.
Jon Greenberg wrote today (Jan. 20, 2025) in The Athletic, the following:
“The Commanders team that beat Johnson’s Lions was led by a coach (Dan Quinn) the Bears passed up to hire Matt Eberflus, an offensive coordinator (Kliff Kingsbury) the Bears waved off to land Shane Waldron and a rookie quarterback (Jayden Daniels) the Bears didn’t even interview at Halas Hall because they were set on Williams.” — Greenberg
Just sayin’
@Arnie —
But, we do know.
We know that Ryan Poles committed to Caleb Williams, to the point that:
▪︎ the Bears had private workouts with Caleb at USC;
▪︎ Caleb did not throw (or test) at the NFL combine, and
▪︎ no “avid reader” has yet answered my challenge to produce a media report which demonstrates (anyone from) the Bears met with any other 2024 NFL Draft-eligible college QB.
So, there’s that.
But, you do you.
Keep laying it down Arnie!!