The Chicago Bears already had 13 GM candidates they’ve been sorting through for the past few days and will continue doing so in the week to come. Now it seems a 14th name has entered the fray. This in the former of Miami Dolphins senior personnel executive Reggie McKenzie. Most will remember him as GM of the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders from 2012 to 2018. During that period he was able to rebuild a bad team into a playoff contender.
While his Raiders tenure is viewed by most as a failure, the man had some huge successes during his time there. None bigger than his 2014 and 2015 drafts. A sequence where he added Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Gabe Jackson, and Amari Cooper to the roster. Three Pro Bowl studs and an underrated starting guard in two drafts. Carr is one of the best QBs in the AFC. Mack is still a pass rushing terror and Cooper remains a dynamic target in Dallas.
The Bears have put in a request to interview ex-Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie, now a Dolphins senior personnel executive, for their open GM spot, per sources.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 16, 2022
This is somebody that has a long, solid track record.
McKenzie began his rise in 2008 as the Green Bay Packers director of football operations. Across four offseason, they added key names like Jordy Nelson, Josh Sitton, B.J. Raji, Clay Matthews, T.J. Lang, Bryan Bulaga, and Randall Cobb. While he had some terrific hits for the Raiders, he was undone by two key factors. Some untimely 1st round busts (D.J. Hayden and Gareon Conley) and the inability to get the head coaching position right. First with Dennis Allen and then Jack Del Rio.
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Ironically the Raiders miss him right about now as their past three drafts have underwhelmed. Meanwhile, the 58-year old wasn’t unemployed long. He joined the Miami Dolphins as a senior executive in 2019. There he helped overhaul their roster with key additions like Christian Wilkins, Alex Van Ginkel, Jalen Waddle, Jaelen Phillips, and Jevon Holland. Not to mention veterans like Byron Jones and Emmanuel Ogbah.
It is worth noting he has ties to Brian Flores, the former Dolphins head coach who just interviewed for the Bears job. Perhaps the organization might be looking for a suitable pairing. Or maybe they want to pick McKenzie’s brain about Flores along with some of their other GM candidates like Glenn Cook and Eliot Wolf. Both also worked alongside him in Green Bay. Reggie McKenzie fits the profile of what the Bears seek. Somebody experienced with a solid track record.
He is now the third candidate they will interview that was a GM with a previous team.
