Chicago Bears Are Quietly Trying To Pull Off A Head Coaching Heist

The Chicago Bears have remained steadfast in their approach to the ongoing head coaching carousel. They've met with almost a dozen candidates thus far, and several more are on the schedule. If you believe recent reports, it feels like prominent names are starting to emerge. Ben Johnson, Mike McCarthy, and Brian Flores are early favorites. However, Todd Monken and Adam Stenavich are considered sleepers as well. However, GM Ryan Poles made it clear the team would exhaust all possible avenues to find the right guy.

That includes the trade market.

Now, head coach trades are incredibly rare. Only seven have happened in the past 30 years. The most recent was Sean Payton going to Denver in a deal with New Orleans. Some wondered if Kyle Shanahan might be next after his rough season in San Francisco. However, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports dropped a bombshell two weeks ago.

"The leverage is that there's been no contract talks with Kevin O'Connell, at all. He has one year left on this deal," Glazer said. "Over the years, several different teams have looked at a guy like Mike Tomlin to see if they could do that. Try to backdoor, see if they can do something like that but it didn't really get there. It's kind of what happens in this league."

"I never said he's getting traded, but without a doubt, there are teams and the teams that are involved asked me 'please do no mention us,' which I have to respect," Glazer continued. "I know that one team at least saying 'Man, we would gear up and trade this, this and this for a guy like this.' So yeah, there are talks internally in buildings about trying to make a run. Look, it could be a long shot, it could be a crazy idea, but it's only crazy if you dont take a shot."

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk corroborated this story.

It appears tension between O'Connell and ownership has grown steadily since the end of the 2023 season. By dragging their feet, it has created an uncomfortable situation. While O'Connell stated he hoped to get an extension done, there are zero signs of progress.

"The Week 18 Sunday Splash! report from Jay Glazer that multiple teams are interested in trading for O’Connell wasn’t idle talk. There’s tension in the relationship, stemming largely from the fact that he didn’t get an extension after his second season. Now that he’s one year away from free agency, he could be willing to let it ride, if necessary, and hit the market."

The Chicago Bears aren't remaining idle in this.

A source reached out to SM with an update confirming that team brass has reached out Minnesota about the possibility of acquiring O'Connell. The Vikings have been lowballing him in discussions to this point. This isn't a surprise. Minnesota has a track record of underpaying its coaches. Mike Zimmer received an extension in 2020 worth $5 million per year. That wasn't anywhere close to the top 10 in the league despite having taken the team to the playoffs, including an NFC championship, three times in five years.

Remember, Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren spent 14 years with the Vikings organization from 2005 to 2019. He has a longstanding relationship with the Wilf family. That gives him inroads, perhaps relaying that the Bears are willing to make a deal for O'Connell if they are unwilling to meet the head coach's desired number.

It sounds unbelievable. Why would the Vikings even consider moving on from O'Connell, let alone dealing within the division? Maybe because they've done it several times in recent years. In 2022, they made three significant deals with Detroit and Green Bay, including one that brought star tight end T.J. Hockenson from the Lions. The New York Jets traded Bill Belichick to the Patriots in 2000. Such an idea is hardly uncharted territory. The Bears have many good reasons to pursue it, long odds or not.