Ryan Poles addresses Bears' coaching search including what the team is looking for, who will be involved, and what his own future looks like
The Chicago Bears are getting set to enter into a new era with the 2024 season now in the rearview mirror and the first part of that is finding the team's next head coach.The process has already begun with the Bears sending out various requests to top candidates around the league to interview for the […]
The Chicago Bears are getting set to enter into a new era with the 2024 season now in the rearview mirror and the first part of that is finding the team's next head coach.
The process has already begun with the Bears sending out various requests to top candidates around the league to interview for the vacant position.
On Tuesday, Bears' general manager Ryan Poles spoke to the media for the first time since the season ended and provided insight into what kind of candidates the team is looking for, who will be involved in the search, and answered various other questions.
For starters, the Bears are planning to take their time with this search and learn from all the mistakes that came from the hiring of head coach Matt Eberflus, and offensive coordinators Luke Getsy and Shane Waldron over the past two years.
"I think it's adding more data to the equation. It's digging deeper with our research. All of those things are really important," Poles explained. "I think also the team and where it is right now, knowing it better than I ever have before, that's important. I think as you go along, you gain wisdom every single year and every experience that you go through, and that helps you make better decisions as you go."
It's clear that the Bears want to get this next hire right after messing things up so bad over the last two seasons and Poles will be in charge of selecting the candidate. Joining Poles in the search will be George McCaskey, Kevin Warren, Jeff King, Matt Feinstein, and Liz Geist. Assistant general manager Ian Cunningham will be given the opportunity to pursue other general manager openings around the league and will be included later if no openings pan out for him.
With Poles making the final decision, that means he will be expected to be around for 2025, which is the final year of his current contract. When asked if his contract will be extended, Poles declined to answer but added the coaching candidates will be notified about what his future looks like with the team beyond 2025.
As for what the team is looking for in the candidates, Poles offered some variations to the qualities that were shared the last time he and Warren addressed the media after Eberflus was fired.
"We're looking for clear vision, a developmental mindset, really good game management, and obviously a plan to develop a quarterback is going to be a key part of that as well," Poles said. "We're going to cast a wide net. It's going to be a diverse group. There's going to be different backgrounds, from offense, defense, special teams, college, pro. We are turning every stone to make sure that we're doing this the right way…
"At the end of the day, you got to look at all the characteristics of what you're looking for in a head coach. And then you got to see what's the best bundle of those to bring in the building. Obviously, we're talking about leadership, accountability, some of those important things that carry over regardless of what the situation is… It's the candidate that has the best collection of all of those things."
The Bears have already lined up an expansive list of candidates that have received requests for interviews in the coming days. That list includes both former and current NFL head coaches along with up-and-coming coordinators/assistants.
One thing was made clear by Poles as the organization goes into the interview process, they want to find the candidate who can come in an hold this locker room accountable and be willing to create healthy friction with everyone in the building while also fitting all of the qualities mentioned above.
Below is the updated list of requests the Bears have made so far.
