For pretty much the entire 2023 season, it has been a foregone conclusion that the Chicago Bears will fire head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles.
Bears president Kevin Warren has a mandate from ownership to make the necessary moves. He was hired last January and has no built-in relationship with Chicago’s current brass.
It remains to be seen whether this is still the case after Chicago won for the sixth time in 11 games Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Remember, the Bears were 0-4 to open the season and had lost 14 consecutive prior to a Week 5 win over the Washington Commanders.
Despite this, rumors continue to persist that Warren will move on from both Eberflus and Poles. If that is indeed the case, Chicago is beink linked to future Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame head coach Mike Tomlin.
“Tomlin’s contract expires in 2024, and it’s well known the Steelers organization won’t engage in extension talks with players or coaches during the season. So we wait and see. There has been chatter that perhaps the Steelers would consider trading Tomlin to Washington, Chicago or even Carolina to get back some picks.”
Dianna Russini of The Athletic
The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich after less than a full season. Ron Rivera is going to get the boot by the Washington Commanders after their disaster of a season comes to a conclusion. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders will likely be in the market after firing Josh McDaniels earlier in the season.
However, Chicago could very well make sense if the Steelers do opt to trade Tomlin. A recent report from Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer suggests that this might be the case.
Related: Chicago Bears’ Matt Eberflus and NFL head coaches on the hot seat
Why Mike Tomlin makes sense for the Chicago Bears
As things stand right now, Chicago would boast the first and seventh picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. It acquired Carolina’s first rounder in a blockbuster trade last spring.
Rumors are pointing in the direction of Chicago trading former first-round pick Justin Fields and selecting USC’s Caleb Williams No. 1 should the team acquire that pick.
What’s to stop the Bears from offering up a couple Day 2 selections to pry Tomlin away from the Steelers? It might be far-fetched given that Tomlin is the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL. Pittsburgh has also had just three head coaches since back in 1969. The team’s ownership group seems to value continuity in this regard.
Either way, the Bears’ potential interest in Tomlin isn’t surprising. Warren wants to put his own stamp on the Bears’ organization. Acquiring the Super Bowl-winning head coach to team up with Williams in a hypothetical makes a ton of sense.