Will George McCaskey be stepping in as the Bears President of Football Operations?
Today is a historic day for the Chicago Bears franchise. They actually fired General Manager Ryan Pace. Honestly, this move genuinely surprised me. I called them out a little over a week ago amid all the reports that Pace would be safe that ownership is settling for a half-hearted culture change so McCaskey could continue working with his friends.
However, I was wrong and I have never been happier to be wrong about the Bears in my life. Their moves today signal change. We don’t know what change yet exactly, but these moves are a sign of not only the Bears realizing that they are teetering on the verge of becoming a bottom-feeder franchise, but also a strong indication of their belief that Justin Fields will become the Chicago Bears first ever superstar quarterback.
Yet, as great as the day has started, there is still more to be seen from the Bears. What changes are to follow? Will a President of Football Operations be hired? What is happening with Ted Phillips? Geroge McCaskey is slated to speak to the media at 1 PM (Central Time) and the first hint about potential changes to come has been dropped.
It has been reported that at the 1 PM press conference only George McCaskey will be meeting with the media, a stark contrast from the typical end-of-year pressers that have featured both McCaskey and Ted Phillips (per Adam Hoge).
It is yet to be seen what the significance of this solo presser is, but Adam Jahns reported that it is likely the next Bears GM and Head Coach will report to McCaskey himself.
The sense I have is that the Bears' next GM will report directly to chairman George McCaskey.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) January 10, 2022
McCaskey loved Ryan Pace. It was an extremely difficult decision for him. But keeping him on in another capacity never became realistic.
It was time to move on.
The Chicago Bears have started the 2022 offseason off on the right foot, but more changes need to follow
This day would become even more infamous if Ted Phillips is either reassigned to another job within Halas Hall or let go altogether, but we need to see what moves are made afterward. While Ted should no longer have anything to do with football operations, I’m not sure anyone feels great about George McCaskey stepping in to run the team himself.
Hopefully, McCaskey making the call to fire his friend is a good sign that he’s listening to a variety of sources and is willing to make changes (and make hires) he wouldn’t have been comfortable with just one year ago. However, with this organization, I wouldn’t place any bets till everything is officially settled.
Bears shockingly move on from Ryan Pace as well. light. Related Story
Ultimately, while the Bears did kick off their offseason on the right foot, this shouldn’t distract anyone from truly needs to happen: the hiring of a president of football operations. If the Bears go the route of allowing McCaskey to be the next “president” instead of hiring someone who knows the game of football, then, yet again, the Bears run the risk of taking one step forward to only move two steps backward with their subsequent decisions.