Are the Bears too unstable for top coaching candidates?

Chicago Bears fans should be entering this offseason with at least some excitement, considering a new head coach will be hired. The 2024 season has been a dumpster fire, but a new coach will bring renewed hope for brighter days.

Unfortunately, that new coach may not be among the top candidates we’ve been hearing about, and the Bears will have no one to blame but themselves.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Chicago’s apparent dysfunction in the front office could have those coaches (and their agents) wary of the power structure.

“There are decades worth of cautionary tales regarding the organization from the top down, and any candidate is going to want a clear understanding of the relationship between (Kevin) Warren and GM Ryan Poles,” Russini wrote. “Who has the final say, and how will that dynamic affect the head coach’s authority? It’s no surprise that coaching agents and potential candidates are already doing their homework on Chicago’s ownership and leadership dynamic. They’re trying to figure out if this is a stable situation, or if it’s a risky landing spot. The team claims it’s searching for a “leader of men,” and that might be true — but in Chicago, it seems the men already in the building might be under evaluation as well.”

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I’m not surprised there’s some hesitation in coaching circles about the Bears. Warren came off as a mega-politician during the Matt Eberflus-firing press conference. He choked the air out of the room and barely let Poles speak. In fact, Poles looked neutered. His voice was weak, and his body language was worse. Any head coaching candidate who watched the dynamic between Warren and Poles has to be concerned.

Hopefully, the appeal of Caleb Williams, the city of Chicago, and the history of the Bears franchise will be enough to wrangle a guy like Ben Johnson away from Detroit. But if the Bears fail in their pursuit of a guy like him? It’ll be time once and for all to re-evaluate how business is conducted inside Halas Hall.