The Bears coaching search will not officially begin until after the Bears and Packers have completed the NFL season Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Until then it exists only in the shadows—the rumor mill.
Thursday's best rumor was from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and was in regards to Dallas coach Mike McCarthy. Fowler reports McCarthy would throw his hat into the Bears ring if no contract is signed with Jerry Jones in Dallas. McCarthy has been coaching on a contract that expires after this season, a real rarity in the NFL these days.
There hasn't been one sourced report yet saying the Bears definitely will inteview a specific candidate for the job and it's unlikely anything will get beyond rumors until after Sunday’s game but before they are allowed to start their interviews with attached coaches on Jan. 8.
All the talk about Ben Johnson, Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll, McCarthy, Brian Flores and others so far is speculation. They can't talk to these candidates until the season ends or face tampering charges.
However, a potential candidate who is not in football now is always a possible interview. Vrabel’s contract with Cleveland as an advisor has expired and he is eligible to be interviewed.
ESPN's Adam Schefter on Christmas reported former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has "expressed interest in the Bears HC job." Carroll is 73 years old, older than Bill Belichick. They could talk to him any time since he’s not coaching.
There have been several reports within the past few days indicating the possibility Bears and Flores could be in touch when teams are allowed to set up and interview candidates. The same was said about Johnson a week and a half ago.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network said sources led him to believe Johnson would have an interest in talking to the Bears about their job. ESPN's Courtney Cronin credited a source with saying the Bears will want to talk with Johnson.
Breer reported interest by the Bears in Flores , the former Dolphins coach and current Vikings defensive coordinator. His tie to Ryan Poles from one year together in the Boston College football program and through Kevin Warren's decade and a half with the Vikings are strong elements.
The Bears have been getting everything in order for their search now, talking to people who know potential candidates.
A process described by president Kevin Warren put GM Ryan Poles in the driver's seat, although it's going to need Warren's approval and ultimately George McCaskey will have a chance to weigh in on it. This was the process first announced by Warren after Matt Eberflus’ firing and it was recently on described by Breer in a report.
It was never made clear whether they'll be using a search firm of any type to either come up with their list or for any other aspect, although Poles’ comments seemed to indicate otherwise
“We are going to lean on both of us and our entire organization, everyone in that think tank and make sure we make the best decision,” Poles said.
Here's what the rumor mill has churned up and it will be updated.
