Some people have loved to continue saying that the Chicago Bears GM position is far from the most desirable on the NFL market. Much of this is due to their limited resources coming into 2022. Not enough cap space to spend big in free agency. Just five draft picks including no 1st rounder. All of this while trying to handle a roster that is old and will have 25 unrestricted free agents. Not a premier setup, certainly. Then again that doesn’t seem to bother Joe Schoen.
The Buffalo Bills assistant GM is widely considered one of the top candidates available on the market. A key figure in their rapid turnaround over the past two seasons that now include back-to-back division titles. He is the right-hand man of Brandon Beane, a man viewed as one of the five or six best GMs in the league. Schoen has been groomed for this opportunity for a long time and the sense is he is ready.
According to G.T. Bobby Thompson of Fansided, the exec has eyes for the Bears job.
Report: #Bills Assistant GM Joe Schoen, is very interested in the #Giants and the #Bears GM positions per source. Schoen interviewed with the #Giants yesterday which went very well
— G.T Bobby Thompson (@BThomps81) January 14, 2022
#Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen “crushed” his interview with the #Giants yesterday, per source.
This process is just starting but based on the excitement we heard, he might be the man to beat.
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) January 13, 2022
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By all accounts, Schoen made an amazing impression in New York. His interview with the Bears is soon to come. One can imagine he’ll offer a similar presentation to George McCaskey and his team as well. To this point, most would likely say that he isn’t the current favorite for the Bears job. However, do not overlook the fact that both Buffalo coordinators are also going to interview for Chicago’s head coaching position.
It is hardly a leap to think that Schoen would come as a package deal with either Brian Daboll or Leslie Frazier. There is also the Bill Polian factor. He is leading the Bears’ search. He was also GM of the Bills for several years in the late ’80s and early ’90s. His connections to that franchise run deep. So one can safely assume he has a detailed background on what the young executive brings to the table.
Joe Schoen has the qualification to intrigue the Bears
His success as a personnel guy didn’t just begin in Buffalo. He was finding it long before. It was in 2008 that he really began to emerge. The Miami Dolphins brought him in as a national scout and after five seasons was promoted to assistant director of college scouting. Miami enjoyed considerable success during that period both in the draft and undrafted free agency.
- Jake Long
- Dan Carpenter
- Vontae Davis
- Reshad Jones
- Mike Pouncey
- Ryan Tannehill
- Olivier Vernon
- Lamar Miller
- Damien Williams
- Jarvis Landry
- Jay Ajayi
- Laremy Tunsil
- Xavien Howard
- Jakeem Grant
Then during his first proper offseason in Buffalo, Joe Schoen delivers a franchise quarterback in Josh Allen, a Pro Bowl linebacker in Tremaine Edmunds, and eventual Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller. The latter achieved that after being traded to Cleveland but it doesn’t erase how solid the pick was. It is little wonder the assistant GM is so highly regarded around the league.
His track record speaks for itself.
If he brings the same savvy to his Bears interview as he did to the Giants, then he might be the man to beat for the job. One thing is clear. Few around the NFL would question the choice. He’s been well-groomed for this opportunity going back years. The fact his interest in Chicago is so strong should only help his case.
