The Bears continued to hold meetings at Halas Hall on Tuesday, with no word of when they plan to explain the outcome to the public.
Coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles met with players for nine hours Monday. The coach expected to meet with Poles, president/CEO Kevin Warren and chairman George McCaskey during the week.
Eberflus’ bosses have not publicly endorsed him as the head coach in 2024, though both Poles and Warren have, within the last week, praised the culture inside Halas Hall. The Bears went 7-10 after starting the season 0-4. Questions remain, however, about whether the Bears might prefer to align new coaches with a first-year quarterback, should they draft one with the No. 1 overall pick in April.
The team has not yet scheduled an end-of-season news conference, which would signal Eberflus’ return, or announce his departure. This week’s schedule is different from a year ago, when Poles and Eberflus spoke on the Tuesday after the season ended.
It also raises questions about the decisions being discussed under Warren, who wasn’t part of the Bears’ power structure a year ago. Both Warren and Poles said during the season they planned to conduct a thorough examination of the team at the end of the year.
NFL rules mandate that teams hold a news conference featuring their decision makers within a week of the season’s end.
When the Bears have fired their head coach, they’ve traditionally done so the day after the season ends. When they decided to keep coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace after the 2020 season, McCaskey explained the decision on a Wednesday.
Surviving the day after the season ends didn’t portend stability in Tennessee, where Mike Vrabel was fired Tuesday. The Patriots are also awaiting clarity about the future of legendary coach Bill Belichick.
