La Canfora: Bill Polian could return to NFL with Chicago Bears

We haven’t even made it to the offseason, yet football rumors are already starting to swirl. According to Jason La Canfora, Hall of Fame football executive Bill Polian could make a return to the NFL, and his landing spot could be in Chicago.

Now, before we get to the substance of this, it’s worth noting that La Canfora isn’t exactly the most revered “reporter” in the NFL, and his level of maturity and professionalism are often questioned.

But, he wouldn’t make proclamations like this Bill Polian “scoop” if he didn’t have anything to back it up, because if it were just b-s, Polian could easily refute it.

On Sunday morning, La Canfora reported that Polian could be returning to the NFL, and that the Chicago Bears could be the team that hires him.

Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian would strongly consider the right opportunity to return to the NFL and is expected to garner heavy consideration for a front-office position in Chicago, according to league sources.

A senior executive, advisory position with the right franchise would appeal to Polian, sources said, and there is a possibility the Bearsrestructure their front office in a scenario where Polian would be a senior adviser who oversees coaching and football operations in 2017 and then makes determinations about how he believes the organization should move forward.

Despite the challenges with the Chicago Bears this season, it’s hard to imagine general manager Ryan Pace has to worry about his job. It’s also not likely that there will be any big shake up in the Bears front office, considering George McCaskey is the Chairman of the Board, and President Ted Phillips isn’t that involved in the day-to-day football operation.

The way the Bears front office is structured, the general manager has complete control over the football operation, so if Polian would come on board, it would essentially be an addition to staff.

But Polian is a Hall of Fame executive for a reason, and if he is truly interested in returning to the league in a senior leadership role, he’d have the attention of all 32 teams. Polian was denoted NFL Executive of the Year six times in his career, with the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts. He knows the league, and what it takes to build a winning program, so if the Bears are truly interested in his services, it would be intriguing to know in what capacity he would serve, and more specifically, if Ryan Pace would have to relinquish any control.

Stay tuned...