Jan 2, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy watches quarterback Andy Dalton (14) during warmups before the game against the New York Giants at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
The first Monday after the regular season ends is often referred to as Black Monday in the NFL. It is the day when most of the unsuccessful teams fire their head coach, general manager, or both.
The Chicago Bears are expected to be one of those teams.
Reports say head coach Matt Nagy will be boxing up his office. General Manager Ryan Pace’s status is not so clear.
He could be given the boot. He could also get a promotion.
That would be so like the Chicago Bears to fire the man with a winning record-Nagy is 34-31 in the regular season-and keep the guy with the losing record. The Chicago Bears are 48-65 with Pace making the roster decisions over seven seasons.
Nagy deserves to go in spite of his first season winning record. Since then, the Bears’ overall play has been mediocre at best. Mitchell Trubisky failed to develop as a quarterback–some of it was his own doing but most was Nagy’s coaching. The offense just could not score enough points. The final nail in Nagy was his inability to develop Justin Fields.
Pace needs to go because in six of seven seasons the Bears have finished at or below .500 with two playoff losses sprinkled in.
The Chicago Bears under Team President and CEO Ted Phillips have been to the playoffs six times since he was elevated to the position in 1999.
Since taking the chairman’s gavel in 2011. George McKaskey’s tenure has been one of the most disappointing eras in Chicago Bear history.
Sweeping changes need to be made starting Monday if the Chicago Bears ever hope to compete for the playoffs and ultimately win the Super Bowl.
Here are the dream, nightmare, and realistic situations that will happen on Monday, or possibly Tuesday, with the Bears frightful four in McCaskey, Phillips, Pace, and Nagy
George McCaskey
Dream situation: 99-year-old team matriarch Virginia McCaskey surprisingly steps to the podium, and as in 1999 when she kicked her son Mike McCaskey out of the Team President and CEO role, removes George McCaskey from the chairman of the board. Additionally, she announces one of the following:
Since time is not on her side and she already has a Super Bowl ring, she is putting the team up for sale.
Someone else in the McCaskey family is not only taking over the chairman role but learning football.
Nightmare situation: George McCaskey stays as chairman and brings back Phillips, Pace, and Nagy because he still likes the collaboration between the three. Even worse, Pace is added to the board of directors.
What will realistically happen: George McCaskey stays on as chairman and just makes another comment that his mom is still upset about the team’s performance.
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