Insider: Bears May Still Fire Matt Nagy Before Season Ends

The Chicago Bears were reported to have been preparing to fire head coach Matt Nagy following the Thanksgiving game in Detroit. This forced George McCaskey to meet with both Nagy and the team to insist it wasn't true. Most believe the report was proven false by this. Others, including the man who published it, think that once word leaked it forced the organization to change its plans. No matter which side you believe, one fact remains clear. Nagy is still the head coach. With the last major window of days off between games done, the assumption is McCaskey will wait until the end of the season before making a decision. However, Conor Orr of The MMQB isn't entirely sure of that. He stated in a recent article that not only will the Bears job be "very likely open" but also that a strong possibility remains they still fire Nagy before the season ends.

They will just wait a couple of weeks for things to blow over.

"The Bears, like the Giants, are an organization determined to emerge from any uncomfortable situation looking like it did the right thing. So will they allow the situation to cool down for a few weeks, and give Nagy his space to coach against the Cardinals, Packers and Vikings before considering a move? That would make sense from a public relations standpoint, while still helping the Bears get a leg up on some of the other teams waiting for Black Monday."

If things progress as expected, there is a strong likelihood that Chicago will be eliminated from playoff contention by the time they play the Vikings on December 20th. Their chances of beating Arizona and Green Bay are remote. With a 4-9 record, there is no way they can mount a comeback. So McCaskey would thus be far more justified to part ways with Nagy from a public viewpoint. Not to mention the additional incentive that Orr is referring to. The NFL altered its policies where now teams will be permitted to interview head-coaching candidates two weeks before the end of the regular season. This provided the current coach is either fired or has been informed he will be. Expectations are teams will look to take advantage of this, hoping to get the jump on top candidates. The Bears could be aiming to do the same. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFqC6Vq3bf4&ab_channel=TheRichEisenShow

Matt Nagy decision seems inevitable one way or another

The prevailing belief is he will be gone. It remains a question of when, not if. Will the Bears take advantage of the new window or will they do what they've always done and wait for the end of the season? Much of this depends on their plans for GM Ryan Pace. His status is far less certain. While he is by no means safe, his chances of surviving are a bit higher due to the favorable returns from his two most recent draft classes. If the Bears were to fire him too? That changes the timetable. The organization has always operated with the strategy of ownership hires the GM and the GM hires the head coach. That means they would prioritize finding the next general manager first. Only then would they shift to finding the next coach. That might be why Matt Nagy ends up lasting through the end of the season.

Not out of any sense of obligation.

Merely no need to move until the next GM is in place. One thing is clear. Bears fans should have more clarification on what is to come closer to Christmas time. If no move on Nagy is made around that point? One can make a calculated assumption that a full housecleaning might be on the way.