In charge of making that decision is general manager Ryan Poles … at least, for now. We’ve heard that Poles has the support of Bears president Kevin Warren to make the final decision, but before the process really gets going, might Poles be on his way out?

The relationship between Poles and Warren has certainly been under much scrutiny over the last few weeks, with people noting just how sheepish the former looked in their first press conference following the Eberflus firing.

One Chicago media personality believes Ryan Poles and the Bears could part ways after this season

On a recent episode of the Waddle & Silvy show on ESPN 1000, longtime Chicago analyst and fan favorite, Marc Silverman, shed some light on the relationship between Poles and Warren.

“One of the main reasons that Ryan Poles took the Bears job was because he liked the direct reporting nature to the team owner. It was very appetizing to him as a general manager to report directly to ownership. There was no buffer,” he explained.

Silvy detailed how, when Warren was put in place, it was frustrating to Poles now having to change how he reported:

“When Kevin Warren was hired, he (Poles) was frustrated with that from the start … he went from reporting to the owner to now having to report to a team president who reports to the owner …

“He was very vocal about that to people he trusted inside the building … that maybe he never would have taken the job to begin with.”

Those are some strong words from a man who does have plenty of sources and relationships around Chicago and within the Bears organization. Maybe Poles never would have taken the job to begin with?

Yikes.

Silverman also went on to give somewhat of a bold prediction as to Poles’ future in Chicago.

“This is a theory, this isn’t a known thing … I wouldn’t be shocked, again, if by the end of the year, there’s a mutual parting of the ways,” he finished.

Wouldn’t that be something? There is a portion of the fan base who have been out on Poles for a while now, so they’d welcome a change like this. Poles has done some good things, but he’s also failed miserably at times, too.

Whether it be not paying Roquan Smith, the Chase Claypool trade or talking about building the trenches only to do the opposite, Poles has not held up his end of the bargain on several occasions.

Would the Bears entertain a completely fresh pairing of GM and head coach ? It’s a possibility.