Is the coaching search taking too long? Buckle up Bears fans, this thing’s nowhere near over

Kevin Warren promised an “exhaustive” search for the next Chicago Bears head coach. The team president wasn’t kidding. In the first week of this coaching search, the Bears interviewed nine candidates.

Warren and general manager Ryan Poles reportedly have as many as eight additional names on their list.

“We’re going to cast a wide net,” Poles said last week. “It’s going to be a diverse group. This will be different backgrounds from offense, defense, special teams, college, pro. We’re turning every stone to make sure we’re doing this the right way.”

The organization definitely is taking that type of approach.

Meanwhile, the New England Patriots already have wrapped up their search, hiring Mike Vrabel as head coach on Sunday and introducing him with a news conference Monday.

We’re turning every stone to make sure we’re doing this the right way.”

—  Ryan Poles, Bears general manager

The first domino to fall always raises the sense of urgency. A top candidate is off the market. On top of that, there’s more competition after the Dallas Cowboys parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday.

The NFL has changed the rules in recent years regarding coaching searches in an attempt to get teams to slow down. Vrabel and the Patriots are, by and large, the exception to the rule nowadays. Few NFL coaching searches last less than a week anymore.

Top assistant coaches who still are competing in the divisional round of the playoffs this weekend can’t agree to a deal with a new team until their current season is over.

And Bears fans would be wise to remember who is running their team now.

Warren values taking all the time he feels is necessary to make the right decision. That’s what the Bears are doing with their search for a new stadium, which began three and a half years ago. That’s what the Bears did a year ago when they took 48 hours to announce that Matt Eberflus would return in 2024. That’s also the reason why the team didn’t leave Eberflus in Detroit on Thanksgiving.

“I have just learned over my career that it’s important to try to at least get a good night sleep,” Warren said days after firing Eberflus. “At least try to think clearer and be respectful to make better decisions.”

Warren is not going to rush into anything.

The last time Warren was part of an NFL head coaching search was in 2014, when he was with the Minnesota Vikings. That year, of the seven teams searching for a head coach, the Vikings were the sixth to make a hire. They landed on coach Mike Zimmer nearly two full weeks after the first hiring of that cycle. Minnesota’s search in 2014 lasted 16 days.

Currently, the Bears are eight days into their search.

“One attribute is to go into the search without your mind made up,” Warren said last week when asked about his previous experiences searching for a new head coach. “I think that’s the thing that I learned the most. You need to go into these searches wide open.”

The Bears will continue with their initial interviews this week. McCarthy is expected to interview with the Bears in person Wednesday at Halas Hall. Hosting McCarthy in person just days after he and the Cowboys parted ways is a significant step. McCarthy also is expected to meet with the New Orleans Saints early next week.

Several more candidates who participated in the wild card round of the postseason will likely interview this week. Some second interviews will likely begin next week.

Interviews with coaches employed by other teams that still are in the postseason [such as Detroit’s Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn] will take time.

If, for instance, the Bears zero in on Johnson and the Lions reach the Super Bowl, an agreement cannot be made until the day after the Super Bowl (Feb. 10).

In other words, it’s possible this thing is only just beginning.