Chicago Bears seeking permission to interview Mike McCarthy

The Dallas Cowboys have yet to make a decision regarding their head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys do not have to specifically fire McCarthy as his current contract with the team is set to expire on January 14.

Recent reports have suggested that McCarthy may be eyeing the Chicago Bears' head coach opening. The Bears don't appear to be interested in waiting for the Cowboys to make their decision as Adam Schefter reported that the team has asked the permission to interview the veteran head coach.

McCarthy has been viewed as a polarizing candidate for the Bears' vacancy. There is no question that McCarthy would raise the floor expectation for the Bears' organization, but his run with the Cowboys, as well as his final years with the Green Bay Packers, would seem to suggest that there is a ceiling to the success his teams often have.

The Bears seeking permission to interview McCarthy now as opposed to waiting until January 14 speaks to the front office wanting to have an accelerated search. Accelerated in the sense of when the Bears are able to conduct in-person interviews, beginning on January 20, the Bears likely want to have a group of finalists selected.

Unlike the requested interviews for Mike Kafka and Drew Petzing, there would be a real benefit to the Bears hosting McCarthy at Halas Hall to have a conversation about their head coaching vacancy. His playoff shortcomings not withstanding,

McCarthy had three consecutive 12-win seasons with the Cowboys prior to the team's 7-10 finish this season. In a world where The McCaskey Family had the final say in the coaching hire, McCarthy seems like he would be a legitimate threat to become the next head coach of the Bears. However, if Ryan Poles is in charge of the search, it feels like he would lean toward Ben Johnson assuming there isn't any schism about alignment.