Chicago Bears fans have experience with bad seasons. It’s been the norm for the last 12 years since they fired coach Lovie Smith after a 10-6 campaign in 2012. But what they have experienced in 2024 has been very disappointing, as there was a lot of hope after the selection of quarterback Caleb Williams as the number 1 pick in the Draft, a couple of good offensive signings, and a defense that seemed to be above average.
With a 6-3 defeat against the Seattle Seahawks, in the worst game of the entire 2024 NFL season, the Bears suffered their tenth consecutive loss (matching the worst record in a season in history) and worsened their record to 4-12. Far from what fans had dreamed of in the preseason.
Therefore, with anger and disappointment at the surface, in the last minutes of Thursday night's game at Soldier Field in Chicago, a unique shout was heard loud and clear: "Sell the team! Sell the team! Sell the team!"
The chant was directed towards the McCaskey family, who have been controlling the team for 103 years. The team was bought by George Halas and after his death, it remained in the hands of Virginia Halas McCaskey, who is now 101 years old, and she passed the management to her son George McCaskey.
What are the profound changes that the Chicago Bears must make?
The Bears have one game left this season, which will surely end in defeat when they visit their arch-rivals, the Packers, in Green Bay. If this scenario plays out, it will be the first time in franchise history that the team reaches 11 consecutive losses in a season.
Chicago's losing streak began on October 27 in Washington, when opposing quarterback Jayden Daniels converted a "Hail Mary" into a touchdown on the last play of the game. Fan videos showed an embarrassing image when cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was seen mocking the opposing fans instead of defending against the last pass.
The Bears never recovered from that moment and the locker room was definitively fractured: in an unprecedented move during the regular season in Chicago, the offensive coordinator (Shane Waldron) and the head coach (Matt Eberflus) were fired.
Therefore, after the meeting in Green Bay, the Bears will focus on making profound changes, which should also include general manager Ryan Poles, responsible for several of the team's poor decisions.
The new coach (Ben Johnson, current offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, emerges as the top candidate) will need to focus on rebuilding the porous offensive line of Chicago, strengthening a defense that is not as good as believed, and changing the defeatist mentality in the locker room.
Can the McCaskeys sell the Chicago Bears?
NFL teams are rarely sold, as due to the league's millionaire contracts, they always generate profits.
The last team to change ownership was the Washington Commanders, when the NFL forced owner Dan Snyder to sell after a series of investigations, including one by the House of Representatives, reported a toxic work environment in the organization, with allegations of workplace abuse and sexual harassment. Snyder sold the team for $6 billion to a group led by Josh Harris (owner of the NBA's 76ers).
The Bears should cost much more, since Chicago is the third largest market in the United States. Forbes valued the Illinois team at 6.4 billion dollars.
Nevertheless, to date, there is no news that the McCaskey family wants to get rid of the property, although they are interested in a business partner to finance the new stadium project.
A few days ago, the possibility of Jeff Bezos as a potential buyer appeared on social media, but it all originated from a post by a betting house that mentioned the Amazon owner as the main candidate to take control of the Chicago Bears.