Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus are in a bad spot. The Chicago Bears have lost four straight after a promising 4-2 start. They will finish with a third consecutive losing season if things don't turn around. That outcome may compel team president Kevin Warren to make sweeping changes. If that were to happen, many would be curious about what direction he may go as GM and head coach.
With such a long career in football, he has no shortage of connections. Here are some prominent names at both spots to keep in mind if moves are made this January.
Kevin Warren General Manager connections:
Rick Spielman (Former Minnesota Vikings GM)
The first and most obvious name to consider is Spielman. He was part of the Minnesota Vikings front office from 2006 through 2021 and ascended to GM in 2012. Warren was the team's chief administration officer at the time. He became their COO in 2015 and held the job until 2019. During that entire time, he watched Spielman construct two teams that reached the NFC championship in 2009 and 2017.
Among the players he acquired over that span include Adrian Peterson, Everson Griffen, Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes, Cordarrelle Patterson, Anthony Barr, Danielle Hunter, Dalvin Cook, and Justin Jefferson. The one issue Spielman always had was finding the right quarterback. He had one great year of Brett Favre in '09. Outside of that was a group consisting of Brad Johnson, Christian Ponder, Tarvares Jackson, Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater, Case Keenum, and Kirk Cousins.
John Dorsey (Senior exec, Detroit Lions)
Warren never worked directly with the former Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns GM. However, the two occupied the NFC North for several years together. Dorsey was with the Green Bay Packers from 1991 through 2012. He has since returned to the division with Detroit, where Warren should still have contacts as he worked there from 2001 through 2003. One thing nobody can deny about Dorsey is that he builds excellent rosters.
In Kansas City, he built the foundation of their dynasty with picks like Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Tyreek Hill, and Patrick Mahomes. After getting fired from there, he took over in Cleveland. Like before, he quickly laid the foundation of a future playoff team with Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb. That doesn't even include his time in Green Bay, where he played a role in building their 2010 Super Bowl championship team.
Martin Mayhew (Senior exec, Washington Commanders)
When Kevin Warren was Senior vice president of business operations in Detroit, he met a young administration director there. That was Mayhew. Neither could've predicted the man would ascend to become the team's general manager by 2008, where he had the dubious task of rebuilding the team from the ashes of their 0-16 season. He did a tremendous job with picks such as Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, Ezekiel Ansah, Darius Slay, Larry Warford, and Laken Tomlinson.
Though the team made the playoffs twice, it never quite got over the hump. Mayhew left for San Francisco, where he helped John Lynch build their 2019 Super Bowl team. That success landed him another GM job in Washington. Unfortunately, he arrived at the tail end of Daniel Snyder's reign of terror as owner. Mayhew drafted some good players like Samuel Cosmi and Brian Robinson, but the ship was already sinking.
Tom Gamble (Senior exec, Jacksonville Jaguars)
One can't ignore Warren's college connections in this discussion. He ran the Big Ten conference for five years. Gamble spent most of that time as the primary personnel director for Michigan University. Together with Jim Harbaugh, they constructed a roster that would eventually win a national championship in 2023. Among the studs they recruited were Rashan Gary, Cesar Ruiz, Nico Collins, and Aidan Hutchinson.
A key difference with Gamble is that he has widespread NFL experience. He was a scout and personnel director for the San Francisco 49ers throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. That meant he was part of the staff that built the team that reached three NFC championships and a Super Bowl with guys like Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Joe Staley, and Justin Smith.
Head Coaches:
Kevin Stefanski (HC, Cleveland Browns)
Warren watched Stefanski rise up the ranks in Minnesota for years, going from lowly assistant to offensive coordinator between 2006 and 2019. His success led to a head coaching job in Cleveland, where he led them to the playoffs twice, something no other coach has accomplished since the franchise was revived in 1999. He's accomplished this despite instability at quarterback, going from Baker Mayfield to Deshaun Watson, both of whom dealt with injuries. His 2-8 record this year might get him fired. Warren likes coaches with experience. This seems like an obvious choice.
Drew Petzing (OC, Arizona Cardinals)
One of the fastest risers in the NFL. Petzing was an intern in 2013. From there, he gained tons of traction in Minnesota, coaching multiple offensive positions before following Stefanski to Cleveland. Success there led to earning the offensive coordinator job in Arizona. Injuries hobbled them last season, but they still managed a top-20 finish. This season, they are 12th in yards and 13th in points, with the 5th-best rushing attack and Kyler Murray posting the highest passer rating of his career.
Klint Kubiak (OC, New Orleans Saints)
The sons of great head coaches are hit-and-miss in NFL history. For every Bum and Wade Phillips or Mike and Kyle Shanahan, you get a Brian Callahan or Dave Shula. It isn't a guarantee, but you're usually assured that the next generation got a first-class education on how to coach. Gary Kubiak won a Super Bowl in Denver and had tons of success in Houston as a head coach. Klint has now produced a top 12 offense in both of his stints as an offensive coordinator and was a key part of elevating Brock Purdy to a Super Bowl run last season in San Francisco.
Darrell Bevell (PGC, Miami Dolphins)
Another long-time Vikings assistant Kevin Warren got to know well. Bevell was integral to Minnesota's 2009 NFC championship run, helping Brett Favre play arguably the best season of his career. Upon leaving for Seattle, he helped mold Russell Wilson into a Pro Bowler while winning a Super Bowl in 2013. Some could argue he was unfairly run out of town since his former QB has had one playoff win since the coordinator left in 2018. After bouncing around for a couple of years, Bevell landed in Miami, where he was instrumental in turning Tua Tagovailoa into a Pro Bowler. He knows quarterbacks and has been around for a long time.
Lincoln Riley (HC, USC)
Warren was a key part of bringing USC to the Big Ten. That means he has plenty of communication with the program. His young quarterback, Caleb Williams, is also close acquaintances with Riley. If you want to go for the move most likely to please the #1 overall pick, this is probably it. Riley has a strong reputation for crafting quarterback-friendly offenses. He already knows what Williams is capable of. Their chemistry would be obvious. At the same time, Riley has never coached in the NFL and has a poor reputation for staff-building. That would make it a considerable risk.
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