(670 The Score) Despite harboring disappointment in the Bears' second straight 8-8 regular season, chairman George McCaskey made the decision to retain coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace for 2021.
McCaskey made the call believing the Bears' leaders weren't going to carry the lame-duck stigma moving forward.
"Lame duck in a political realm means somebody who's out the door in a date certain," McCaskey said on the Danny Parkins Show on 670 The Score. "That's not what we're talking about here."
What McCaskey overlooked was that it doesn't matter how he views the status of Nagy and Pace. It's the rest of the NFL world that determines whether a team is being run by leaders who lack job security.
Nagy and the Bears have suffered the consequences of the NFL's perception of their organization in the first few weeks of the offseason. The Bears have lost four assistants to other teams in recent weeks, with each leaving Chicago to join newly hired head coaches.
Bears passing game coordinator Dave Ragone and running backs coach Charles London each took promotions in Atlanta, with Ragone being named the Falcons' new offensive coordinator and London taking a step forward in becoming the quarterbacks coach.
Meanwhile, outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino took the same position in Atlanta. Defensive line coach Jay Rodgers will join the Chargers' coaching staff, according to reports, but it won't be for a promotion as defensive coordinator. Then on Wednesday afternoon, inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone accepted the same position with the Lions' new coaching staff, ESPN reported.
The Bears promoted 37-year-old safeties coach Sean Desai to be their new defensive coordinator following Chuck Pagano's retirement. It was a decision that perhaps didn't sit well with more tenured assistants like Monachino, Rodgers and DeLeone.
With Nagy's future uncertain past 2021, the Bears didn't have a desirable defensive coordinator job to offer. That was in part reflected in the external candidates whom the Bears interviewed.
The Bears interviewed George Edwards, who had success as the Vikings' defensive coordinator before being fired and then working as a Cowboys senior defensive assistant in 2020, when Dallas was No. 23 in total defense. The Bears talked with former Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher, who was out of coaching in 2020.
Chicago had discussions with Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon, who accepted the more secure defensive coordinator position on the Eagles' new coaching staff. The Bears even interviewed franchise great Mike Singletary, who has been out of coaching in the NFL since 2016.
Desai could be an excellent defensive coordinator, but his fate is still tied to Nagy, who's now struggling to fill the voids on his coaching staff. Only Desai has been hired by the Bears, who need to bring in multiple new assistants. The Bears had interest in former Eagles assistant Duce Staley, but he accepted a job with the Lions' new coaching staff.
While newly hired head coaches solidify their staffs, Nagy and the Bears are left to scan further down their list to bring in replacements.
The lame-duck perception could hurt the Bears even more in March as free agency opens and they prepare to address their quarterback position. The Bears could struggle to lure their preferred free agents if those players are concerned about the possibility of firings or the roster being blown up. Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson is also unhappy in Houston and could hit the trade market, but he holds a no-trade clause. Would Watson be turned off by the uncertain futures of Nagy and Pace?
McCaskey may not view Pace and Nagy as lame ducks, but the rest of the league seems to disagree. It is already setting back the Bears from the type of improvements that would save jobs.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
