The Chicago Bears' Week 14 debacle against the San Francisco 49ers just added to the fact that the important moves for the organization are currently taking place off the field.
If there was any doubt of that fact, Brad Biggs' leading observation for the Chicago Tribune following the loss was the importance of the Bears' search for a new head coach.
Outside of the stadium deal for Warren, the single-most important decision that will be made this offseason by the Bears will be the hire of their head coach. Along those lines, with Ryan Poles' job status being speculated about, Biggs suggests that a contract extension may be in order for the general manager this offseason.
As the Bears did with Ryan Pace when they hired Matt Nagy, an extension for Poles would seemingly put him on the same timeline as the next head coach.
An extension for Pace would signal that the McCaskey family is willing to spare no expense in this search and Biggs provided some degree of confirmation of that fact.
Two sources said a plus here is Warren likely will have the green light to spend as necessary to make the right hires — and that’s plural because a head coach is only as good as his assistants.
The more information that comes out regarding the Bears' approach with this coaching hire, the more it seems like the team is trying to distance themselves from the approach they had with hiring Matt Eberflus. When the Bears hired Eberflus following the 2021 season, he wasn't a popular name in the hiring cycle, creating the perception that the Bears may have taken the cheap route.
That can't be the outcome with this hire.
Whether it is Ben Johnson or a head coach with experience such as Mike Vrabel, the Bears will need to be comfortable in moving away from the operation they have had in the past. That includes paying a premium for a head coach and giving them added personnel control if it makes the difference between them taking the job or not.