If Poles gets it wrong on the next coach, they’re probably leaving together. That possibility presents something he and Kevin Warren must navigate with coaching candidates who will be cautious about stepping into the instability of potentially mismatched timelines.

Although the process will be a collaboration, Bears team president Kevin Warren made clear the hiring of a new head coach begins and ends with GM Ryan Poles.

In the wake of the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears say they're staying the course in the rest of their leadership.