Chicago Bears Stock Report: Head coaching candidates to replace Matt Nagy

Chicago Bears Head Coach Candidate: Sean Payton – Stock Neutral

Wait, what? Why on earth is Sean Payton on this list? Well, where the news takes us, we must go. In this case, I do not believe for a minute that Sean Payton is out in New Orleans. He is signed through 2026 and makes about $9 million per year. Side note, this is shocking after seeing what some of these college coaches are now being paid. Anyway, l just don’t see Payton being on the outs unless he goes to Mickey Loomis and convinces him he wants out.

If that happens, then of course the Chicago Bears need to be all-in on getting Payton. The problem here is that it would not come cheap. You may not recall or know this because it has been so rare lately, but NFL coaches can and have been traded within the league.

Bill Parcells was traded from New England to the New York Jets in 1997. The cost? Only a future first-round pick, a future second-round pick and a third and fourth-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. Yikes. Jon Gruden was traded from the Raiders to the Bucs in 2002. This was clearly worth it in the short term for the Bucs who sent two first-round picks and two third-round picks in the deal. That was a steep price, but the Bucs won the Super Bowl that season. Gruden coached the Bucs for seven years and finished with a 57-55 record.

Other head coaches who were traded included Bill Belichick who the Jets traded to the Patriots for a first, fourth and seventh-rounder. The Jets also sent a fifth-round pick and a seventh-round pick in the deal. The question is, can the Chicago Bears find a way to get Sean Payton? Could Ryan Pace surprisingly be the cog in the deal? Here is what NFL insider, Albert Breer had to say regarding the situation:

"[T]here are reasons for teams to investigate that this year, in particular. If you’re the Bears, and you make a change after the season, would you see if GM Ryan Pace, a former Saints exec, might be able to land native Chicagoan Sean Payton, who’s now in a bit of QB purgatory in New Orleans?"

We know that the Bears do not have a first-rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft, but what would you give up for a head coach who has a 148-88 record over 15 years with the Saints? A head coach who has nine winning seasons during that span and one 8-8 season. The team is 5-7 on the year right now and this could be a losing season for Payton and the Saints, but let’s not forget his starting QB went down with a torn ACL and he’s playing Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill under center.

This would be a dream scenario, but how much would it cost and how much would you give up? Personally, I’d highly consider it if Ryan Pace (or some other general manager) was able to send no more than a 2023 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2022 third-round pick and a few later-round picks. The problem is, I think it will cost them their 2023 first, 2024 first, 2022 second and 2023 second. I’d love to put his stock up but I’m leaving it neutral since I think the chances are so slim.