Bears GM Poles Turns Heads Amid Kevin O'Connell Trade Rumors

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is not ruling out the possibility of making a trade for his team’s next head coach amid reports that teams have inquired about the availability of Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.

During January 7’s end-of-season press conference, Poles refused to close the door on the Bears potentially trading to acquire an established NFL head coach from another team to fill their current head coaching vacancy amid this offseason’s search process.

“We’ll look at all avenues to get the best coach here,” Poles answered Tuesday when a reporter asked him specifically whether he would consider trading for a new coach.

Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer reported during Week 18’s pregame show that multiple teams are considering trying to trade the Vikings for O’Connell heading into the final year of his contract with the team. While O’Connell has since said he would like to stay in Minnesota, the trade interest does give him negotiating leverage for a new contract.

There have also been rumors about other potential trade targets in the head coaching world. Back in December, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pushed the possibility of the Bears trading for San Francisco 49ers savant Kyle Shanahan, which elicited a public rejection of the concept from the Niners.

Florio also suggested the Bears could pursue Baltimore’s John Harbaugh or Miami’s Mike McDaniel and later claimed that a different head coach called him and asked why Florio had not mentioned his name in the list of potential options. While Florio did not name the coach, Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski and L.A.’s Sean McVay lead speculation.

Are the Bears genuinely open to the possibility of trading for a new coach, though? Or are they merely keeping their minds open to it if their market options do not pan out?

Could Bears Afford to Trade for Next Head Coach?

Let’s make this clear: The Bears are almost certainly not trading for O’Connell. He is a candidate for NFL Coach of the Year for what he has accomplished with the Vikings in 2024, narrowly missing out on the No. 1 seed in the NFL playoffs. The Vikings would be foolish to gid rid of him — let alone trade him away to one of their NFC North rivals.

A trade for a different head coach, though? That could have some legs if the Bears feel the best choice as their next leader is someone another team currently employs.

Shanahan is the most notable. While he quipped in November about the trade rumors, he might feel differently after the 49ers lost seven of their final eight games to close out the 2024 season and missed the postseason for the first time since 2020. Chicago may also like the idea of acquiring a different offensive guru — McVay — if he is available.

Either way, the Bears would likely have to prepare to give up a significant amount of draft capital to pull off a high-profile coaching trade. Their first-round pick — No. 10 overall in 2025 — might be too rich to give up, but they do have two second-round picks — Nos. 39 and 49 — and could use one as a centerpiece in a trade for a new head coach.

The last NFL coaching trade saw the Denver Broncos send a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for Sean Payton and a 2024 third-round pick. Chicago should expect teams to demand similar compensation — if not more — if they should get far enough to have talks about Shanahan or McVay.

Bears’ Interview List Has More Than a Dozen Names

While perhaps a trade eventually makes more sense, the Bears have already requested interviews with more than a dozen candidates for their head coaching vacancy since the window officially opened with the end of the regular season on Monday, January 6.

Some of the names are expected. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bears have asked to interview both of the Detroit Lions coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. NFL rules state they cannot interview either one of them until January 9 at the earliest, but they will have additional time since the Lions earned the first-round bye.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Chicago has asked to speak with the following candidates: Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. (Though, the Cowboys have since denied the Bears permission to speak with their current head coach, a sign of their 2025 plans).

Here are the other candidates the Bears have requested to interview:

Thomas Brown, Chicago Bears interim head coach