The Chicago Bears are in the middle of their search for their next head coach and general manager after firing Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace earlier this week. And there’s been quite a diverse group of candidates that they’ve requested to interview.
The expectation, according to Dan Pompei, is that the Bears cast a wide net of candidates for a first round of video interviews. For those candidates who stand out, they’ll be invited back for an in-person interview.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears will interview Saints VP and assistant GM Jeff Ireland on Friday.
The #Bears will interview #Saints VP and assistant GM Jeff Ireland for their vacant GM job tomorrow, source said. A former #Bears ballboy for training camp in the 80s, he has a picture of Walter Payton on his desk. Ireland’s grandfather Jim Parmer, was a longtime Chicago scout.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2022
Ireland has ties to the Bears organization, as he served as a ball boy for the team at 12 years old when his grandfather Jim Parmer was a Bears scout. But as far as experience, Ireland has worked in the Saints’ personnel department since 2017. The Saints are an organization that Chicago would certainly like to replicate, and Ireland has been part of New Orleans’ success. Ireland has also served as the Dolphins GM from 2008-13 after seven seasons with the Cowboys, which included a stint as VP of college and pro scouting.
Here’s a look at the complete list of head coach and GM candidates the Bears have requested to interview:
