In a morning meeting at Halas Hall on Jan. 19, general manager Ryan Poles finally revealed to everyone involved in the Chicago Bears’ coaching search whom he wanted to hire as the team’s next head coach.
Until then, Poles kept his thinking secret. He didn’t want to sway how others felt about the candidates the team interviewed.
“That’s when he gave his opinion and his thought process to everyone,” president/CEO Kevin Warren said. “It was organized – and it all came together.”
The night before, the Bears’ coaching search changed during the Detroit Lions’ playoff game against the Washington Commanders. Poles and Warren briefly talked that night. As every second passed in what became an upset win for the Commanders, it looked more likely that action would be required.
It was becoming time to go get Ben Johnson.
their schedule ior Halas Hall. The interview was arranged a week earlier.
It wouldn’t change. Poles still wanted the same feedback on George as the previous 16 candidates.
But with the Lions eliminated from the playoffs, the Bears’ expansive coaching search accelerated. If teams were going to aggressively pursue Johnson, the Bears had to be ready, too. And they were. In interviews with The Athletic, Warren and McCaskey provided details of Poles’ search that resulted in Johnson’s hiring, the beginning of a successful offseason for the franchise.
“In retrospect,” McCaskey said, “I think Ben was his No. 1 candidate going into the process, but I think Ryan was smart enough to not want to compromise the process by offering his opinion before
