Could A Full Housecleaning Be In The Works For Bears?

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 27, 2014 7:00PM

Bears GM Phil Emery (Photo credit: Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears conclude a wretched 2014 season Sunday with a trek north to face the Minnesota Vikings with last place in the NFC North at stake. Regardless of the outcome, head coach Marc Trestman and his chief lieutenants are expected to be fired after guiding a team expected to contend for the playoffs to a losing record.

Will the firings end there? Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said earlier this week "everyone could get axed," including himself. But could general manager Phil Emery and team president Ted Phillips follow Trestman out the Halas Hall doors? Here's what Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio has to say.

By “everyone,” the scuttlebutt includes everyone.

It's obvious from the team's play on the field that players have tuned out Trestman, which makes the former CFL coach a dead man walking. Calls for Emery's ouster have grown as it became more obvious the lack of communication in the organization extends to between him and Trestman. Emery's signings to bolster an aging defense have been unmitigated failures and he's shouldered his share of blame for signing Cutler to a long-term deal last offseason.

Firing Phillips is the surprise here. He's earned the trust of the McCaskey family through his negotiations with the city for the renovated Soldier Field over a decade ago. Of course, it was a deal that resulted in Soldier Field losing its landmark status and made it the smallest venue in the NFL, but Phillips proved his loyalty to the McCaskey family by getting it done.

However, the Bears are in disarray and are positioned to lose its status as Chicago's dominant professional sports franchise to the Blackhawks, who have undergone a radical transformation from afterthought to two-time Stanley Cup champions while rebuilding its fan base and reconciling with team legends.

Bears team chairman George McCaskey has long expressed his fondness for how the Blackhawks have rebuilt their organization and it's possible he's ready to do the same with the Bears. Fans will find out once the team's offseason begins Monday.