There is a long-standing belief that the Chicago Bears might be an organization that has the absolute worst relationship when it comes to their former players. Considering how much they supposedly value history and tradition, this might shock people. Yet all one has to do is look at the franchise from top to bottom and point out how many former players are actively working with them in some capacity. That would be one. Former QB Henry Burris is currently a quality control coach for them. That's it. If people needed a reminder of how bad that is, then let Olin Kreutz break it down.
The six-time Pro Bowl center has said for a long time the McCaskey family has a terrible relationship with former players. He doesn't know if that's by accident or by design. Part of him has to think it's the latter after what happened to him in 2018. As Matt Nagy arrived with a new coaching staff, Harry Hiestand took over the offensive line coach position. Kreutz and Hiestand have a great relationship, having worked together back in the 2000s. This led to a dialogue about giving him a possible assistant consulting job.
Kreutz was absolutely interested. That is until he saw what the Bears were offering.
Think about that. Olin Kreutz. One of the best offensive linemen in Bears history. Somebody that could've been an amazing sounding board for the young blockers they would bring in, was worth nothing more to the Bears than minimum wage. That is an insult. Kreutz unsurprisingly turned it down. This helps to explain why he's been so critical of the McCaskeys and their underlings for the past few years. He isn't the only one either. Several former players have voiced similar opinions. Jerry Azumah, a former cornerback and Pro Bowl return called on them to bring guys in to help. Charles Tillman echoed the same. The Bears have so many ex-players that care deeply about the franchise and want to help it succeed. To ignore such a valuable resource like that is nothing short of gross negligence.
