Chicago Bears: How safe is John Fox?
The 2017 NFL Draft proved that Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace is not going anywhere anytime soon. But, what does that mean for head coach John Fox?
Throughout the 2016 NFL season, there were rumors of tension between Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox.
The tension was believed to be derived from the question of who has the most power in the Bears’ football department. With Pace having no hand in the Bears’ decision to hire Fox two years ago, many questioned whether the team’s general manager and head coach were on the same page.
Then, there was the 2017 NFL Draft. Fox was one of the last people in the Bears’ organization to know that the team was going to select North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the first round. It seems awfully strange that a team’s head coach entered the day of the draft without any knowledge of who the team would be selecting with their first round selection.
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If the 2017 NFL Draft proved anything, it’s that Pace not only has full control over the Bears’ football department but he is not going anywhere anytime soon. The same can’t be said for Fox.
Fox already has two losing seasons under his belt as the head coach of the Bears. The Bears won 6 games in 2015 before regressing to the bottom of the league in 2016 by only winning 3 games. The prospects of the Bears’ having a winning season in 2017 season are unlikely considering the team will have an entirely new offense outside of the offensive line and running back positions.
If the Bears fail to have a winning season under Fox in his third season with the team, then history will indicate that the team will have a new head coach next January. In the history of the Bears’ organization, no head coach has survived for a fourth year following three consecutive losing seasons.
Next: Will Ryan Pace face the heat?
With that in mind, Fox is far from safe as he is entering his third season as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Though, that may be exactly what Pace wants.