There are a lot of assumptions about what to expect from the Chicago Bears this coming offseason. Here's the truth. Nobody knows anything. The fate of this franchise has always remained in the hands of the McCaskey family and they aren't talking. So the status of GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy remain very much in question as the team slides to one of its most disappointing finishes in recent memory. It will likely end up being the fourth losing season in five years for Pace.
All of that coupled with the most inescapable reality of all.
His greatest gamble on quarterback Mitch Trubisky seems to have failed. Pace sold the entire franchise on the North Carolina product being the one to finally end the misery at that position. There was a brief glimmer of hope in 2018 when Trubisky made it as a Pro Bowl alternate. However, it seems like defenses have caught up to him or he simply crumbled under the burden of expectations. Either way, his massive regression in 2019 falls squarely at the feet of Pace.
Would the Bears decide they've seen enough and seek to start fresh at the top? If so, they're going to need a list of possible options. Here are some notable names should should include on it.
Bears GM options if Ryan Pace is out
Established names:
Eliot Wolf (assistant GM, Cleveland Browns)
There are plenty of things going in favor of Wolf. He is the son of Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf who built the Green Bay Packers into a Super Bowl champion in the 1990s. He helped construct the eventual 2010 championship team as both a scout and then a personnel director. Then he was soon hired away by Cleveland to become assistant GM in 2018 and they saw immediate draft success with the likes of Denzel Ward and Nick Chubb. Wolf has been groomed by some of the best in the business to run a team.
Will McClay (VP of player personnel, Dallas Cowboys)
A former Arena League standout, McClay got into the NFL as a scouting coordinator with Dallas in 2009. Since then he's risen rapidly up the ranks. He became assistant director of player personnel in 2014 and it's right around that time the team really started to have great success in the draft with the likes of Zack Martin, Demarcus Lawrence, Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, and Leighton Vander-Esch.
Martin Mayhew (VP of player personnel, San Francisco 49ers)
The man was handed a crummy situation in 2008 when he became GM of the Detroit Lions. The team would go winless his first year, badly mismanaged by Matt Millen for a long time. Mayhew somehow got that team to the playoffs by 2011. How? By good drafting. Among his best finds include Cliff Avril, Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, Ezekiel Ansah, Darius Slay, Larry Warford, and Eric Ebron. Not a bad string of picks. It certainly helps his cause that the San Francisco 49ers have quickly turned their own fortunes around since he joined them in 2017.
Scott Fitterer (Co-director of player personnel, Seattle Seahawks)
The Seahawks have had success drafting for a long time since John Schneider took over in 2010. Many believe Fitterer is a key reason why. He was director of college scouting that year and the team enjoyed an unprecedented run of success by scoring the likes of Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman. He went on to help them score other future stars like Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner. The man has been part of the Seahawks' sustained success dating all the way back to 2001.
Free agents:
Scot McCloughan
If not for a reputation for past issues with alcohol, McCloughan would be running a team right now. As GM of both the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins, he's enjoyed an impressive run of success at finding top tier players. Among his haul include Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, Joe Staley, Brandon Scherff, Delanie Walker, and Preston Smith. He also drafted Alex Smith and urged Washington to go with Kirk Cousins as their starter. So he actually has a decent eye for QBs too. Word is he's gotten over his alcohol issues, so this is an option worth considering.
Scott Pioli
Football experts have a sort of love-hate relationship with Pioli. Many applaud the work he's done over his last 20 years as a top executive. Others think he's overrated. One thing is for sure. Success seems to follow him. As director of player personnel in New England, the Patriots scored future stars like Richard Seymour, Matt Light, Asante Samuel, Vince Wilfork, Logan Mankins, and Matthew Slater. He then went on to become GM in Kansas City. There he secured names like Eric Berry, Justin Houston, Rodney Hudson, and Dontari Poe. This guy knows what good players look like.
In-house:
Champ Kelly
The New York Jets came sniffing around Kelly this season in hopes of filling their vacant GM position. In the end, he wasn't chosen, but it was a reminder that the NFL has a close eye on the assistant director of player personnel. Kelly has been a big part of the team's success in recent years. Especially on the pro personnel side where they've secured guys like Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Allen Robinson among others. This after having considerable success with the Denver Broncos where he was key to them signing the likes of Emmanuel Sanders, Aqib Talib, and T.J. Ward.
Wild card:
Jeff Fisher
Now before people lose their minds, remember that is not about choosing a head coach. It's about GM. Jeff Fisher may no longer be a top coaching candidate, but have people considered he might actually have some credibility on the personnel end? The man has been around the league for years and had considerable sway in how his rosters were constructed, especially in the second half of his career. Some guys drafted under his watch? Eddie George, Jon Runyan, Jevon Kearse, Keith Bulluck, Michael Roos, Chris Johnson, Jared Cook, Janoris Jenkins, Greg Zuerlein, and Aaron Donald. He's shown a good eye for quarterbacks and above all? He's got connections to the Bears.
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