It is the responsibility of any organization to explore any and all options when making a change at head coach. That includes seeing if it’s at all possible they can lure one of the best in the sport. Since 2000, there have been two trades involving head coaches. The Jets sent Bill Belichick to New England and the Raiders sent Jon Gruden to the Buccaneers. It seems the Bears contemplated trying to do something similar with Sean Payton.
The logic behind the idea is obvious. Payton is one of the three best head coaches in the NFL. An offensive genius that helped turn Drew Brees from a good quarterback to a no-doubt Hall of Famer. He won a Super Bowl, multiple division titles, and has consistently gotten the absolute best out of the quarterback position for his team. Getting a chance to pair him with Justin Fields seems like the easiest sell ever. One the Bears talked about according to Albert Breer of the MMQB. So why didn’t it happen? He explained on the Dan Patrick Show.
This isn’t all that surprising.
Bears ownership doesn’t have the most stellar reputation around the NFL. Not after having burned through three head coaches since 2013. Sean Payton is already dealing with one iffy owner situation in New Orleans. He probably doesn’t want to trade that for another. Then again there are other factors in play. Many believe the coach is burnt out. He’s gone non-stop in New Orleans since 2006. Faced with a brutal salary cap situation and no quarterback solution, it is felt he may exit coaching for a year via a TV deal and reassess his options in 2023.
The truth is the Bears never had a realistic shot at Payton. It would’ve been a monumental price tag in order to trade for him, leaving them almost no resources to build around Fields. They have no 1st round pick this year as it is. Giving up more for a head coach, even one as great as Payton, may not have solved all their problems.
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