Bears Rejected in Pursuit of Huge Head Coach Trade

The Bears were completely shut down in their pursuit of another top head coaching target.
Mar 16, 2023; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks during a press conference at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Mar 16, 2023; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks during a press conference at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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The Chicago Bears are clearly going big with their head coach search. The two names leading the way have been Ben Johnson, who is the most popular candidate in the league right now, and Mike McCarthy, who has a Super Bowl ring and remains one of the most respected head coaches around the league despite his struggling to deal with the clown show in Dallas.

And the latest report shows them taking things even further. This organization is clearly serious about bringing in a coach who is capable of immediately taking Caleb Williams and this Bears roster into playoff contention.

Adam Schefter reported on Saturday morning that the Bears reached out to acquire about a top head coaching trade target, only to be rejected.

Bears Rejected By Steelers in Mike Tolin Talks

The Chicago Bears reportedly reached out to the Pittsburgh Steelers to open discussions around head coach Mike Tomlin, only for the Steelers to rebuff the Bears, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Tomlin is one of the NFL's highest-paid coaches after signing a three-year contract extension last offseason, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from swirling.

The major sticking point in a potential trade, however, is that Tomlin reportedly has a no-trade clause in that contract, and has said himself that he doesn't plan on leaving Pittsburgh. Still, you can't blame teams for doing their due diligence and at least approaching the Steelers about a deal.

Tomlin, still just 52 years old with 18 seasons under his belt as an NFL head coach, has kept the Steelers a playoff contender through his entire tenure. They’ve only missed the playoffs six times during his tenure, never finishing the regular season with a losing record. He needs just 3 more wins to enter the top 10 for most ever by an NFL head coach.

His ability to keep the Steelers from ever entering a true rebuild after the departure of Ben Roethlisberger also went a long way to solidifying that it was Tomlin, not his players, keeping this franchise so competitive for so long.

And that's what the Bears need — someone who can win with no excuses. Because at this point what excuses are left? The defense has always been good but the excuse is the offense can't match them. That there's no quarterback. Then Caleb WIlliams was drafted, and Chicago was heralded as the best landing spot in recent memory for a first-overall-pick QB. And then we had another season full of excuses.

Missing out on Tomlin stings, but Bears fans need to make sure they don't let the organization off the hook by writing this off as another excuse.

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