Bears' Ryan Poles teases 'surprises' in head coaching interviews

Yesterday at 12:45 PM

It's interview time for the Chicago Bears, and Mike Vrabel made the list. Also, Mike McCarthy's name has been floated on Lake Michigan. But general manager Ryan Poles teased "surprises" for the head coaching interviews, according to a post on X by Courtney Cronin.

Poles addressing the head coaching search: “There’s going to be some names that you don’t expect, that will surprise you.”

Chicago started the season with a 4-2 record before hitting the lengthy skids of a 10-game losing streak. However, they closed with a thrilling last-second victory over heated rival Green Bay, a 24-22 decision on a 51-yard field goal. Joy came to the Bears for the first time in quite a while, according to nytimes.com.

"You couldn't ask for a better way to end the season through all of what's going on," quarterback Caleb Williams said. "Through all of (the) coaches being fired, not playing well myself. And us losing many, many games in a row."

That probably won't be enough for interim Thomas Brown to move forward as the Bears are trotting some hot names into their interview room.

Bears GM Ryan Poles feeling the heat?

The good new for Poles is Williams. The Bears picked him No. 1 and he has shown flashes of being a solid NFL quarterback. Egos being what they are in the NFL, all of the coaches applying for the position will walk in with the belief they can turn Williams into a star.

So Poles won't have to sell the team to coaches. He will be in the driver's seat. It appears Poles will get an opportunity to lead his first full head-coaching search instead of picking from a list of finalists presented to him.

One of the surprises may be Brown. Poles said he is in the mix despite some questionable decisions in close games.

"I'm excited to hear his thoughts," Poles told the station. "Because he's been here. He's been here, he's seen and reflected, just like we have, on the past and how we got to this and why the results (were) the results."

Who else is in the mix?

Recently, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady's name got tossed the Bears way. He has helped turn the Bills' offense into one of the top three units in the league along with the Lions and Ravens.

Here is the list of candidates for the Bears, ranked according to the likelihood of hire:

1. Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator
2. Aaron Glenn, Lions defensive coordinator
3. Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator
4. Mike Vrabel, former Titans head coach
5. Joe Brady, Bills offensive coordinator
6. Todd Monken, Ravens offensive coordinator
7. Mike McCarthy, Cowboys head coach
8. Arthur Smith, Steelers offensive coordinator
9. Drew Petzing, Cardinals offensive coordinator
10. Anthony Weaver, Dolphins defensive coordinator
11. David Shaw, former Stanford head coach and current Broncos senior personnel executive
12. Mike Kafka, Giants offensive coordinator

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