4 Chicago Bears who should be shoved out the door for the 2025 season

The Chicago Bears are reeling after a toothless loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It's impossible to find a silver lining at this point. Chicago has lost seven straight, dropping out of postseason contention. That has led to deep introspection within the organization.

We've already seen Chicago take the unprecedented step of firing head coach Matt Eberflus midseason. That came just weeks after offensive coordinator Shane Waldron bit the dust.

This was supposed to be a season of revelation and celebration. Caleb Williams was widely hailed as Chicago's savior — the elite QB who has eluded the Bears for decades. It's too early to close the book on Williams, but the team Chicago has put around Williams won't cut it. From a patchwork offensive line to an underperforming defense, the Bears are drowning in disappointment.

Chicago was out-gained 452-162 on Sunday. At one point, this graphic graced TV screens across the country.

This isn't a simple fix, but the Bears can start lighting flames under seats. Here are the Bears who won't — or at least shouldn't — be back once 2025 rolls around.

4. Bears DB Tyrique Stevenson continues to wildly disappoint

Tyrique Stevenson returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown all the way back in the Bears' season opener on Sept. 8. That set a high bar of expectation, which Stevenson has consistently fallen short of in the weeks since.

Sunday's performance was par for the course, with Stevenson recording a couple tackles and looking otherwise incompetent. He's taking bad angles, falling asleep on the job, and allowing opposing wideouts to run rampant against a weak Bears secondary. Chicago's defensive issues absolutely stretch beyond Stevenson, but he more often than not feels like a root cause.

Is it too early for Chicago to jump ship on the NFL sophomore? He's 24 years old and we saw positive flashes last season. Maybe the Bears can coax more out of Stevenson with a different coach and, presumably, a few better teammates in 2025. That is a strong maybe, though, and Chicago might be better served by jumping ship and not falling victim to a sunk cost.

3. Keenan Allen should be one-and-done with the Bears

Keenan Allen has seen his workload trending up in recent weeks. His season peaked in Week 12 with nine catches on 15 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with two more scores on Thanksgiving in Detroit, a game the Bears almost won. So high were his spirits that Allen openly endorsed a return to Chicago in 2025.

Well, Allen fell back to earth on Sunday with three catches on five targets for 30 yards. This has been more the norm all season, with Allen slotting behind D.J. Moore and even Rome Odunze in the WR pecking order.

For all the resources Chicago invested in the WR position, it has been baffling to see the offense struggle so much. Williams has a few explosive performances under his belt, but Chicago just couldn't move the football through the air on Sunday. The 49ers defense is tough at full strength, but calling San Francisco "full strength" right now is a stretch.

Chicago recently elevated offensive play-caller Thomas Brown to interim head coach, so it's hard to explain the sustained mediocrity. There's no excuse for it. Allen is not fully responsible for Chicago's offensive shortcomings, but he's an aging wideout who hasn't lived up to a titanic reputation in 2024. The Bears shouldn't cough up the money necessary to retain him in free agency.

2. Thomas Brown is not earning his keep as Bears head coach

The Bears elevated Thomas Brown from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron was fired. Then, when Matt Eberflus got the boot, Brown was elevated again to interim head coach. That is a meteoric rise, but don't be shocked if Brown falls out of the spotlight just as quickly.

He is going to finish the season as Chicago's head coach — another change would feel utterly pointless — but any illusions of Brown winning the job and building a long-term partnership with Caleb Williams can go out the window.

The impetus behind elevating the passing game coordinator and leaning into offense as this season falls by the wayside was understandable. In fact, it was the right idea. The Bears need to instill confidence in Williams (and instill confidence in Williams in his teammates). Brown and Williams have worked hand-in-hand from the start and the era of defensive coaching under Eberflus obviously didn't pan out.

That said, Brown just isn't hacking it right now. He's in an impossible situation, inheriting a bad roster and drastically elevated responsibilities, but Chicago cannot feel good about Brown leading this team into the future. The Bears' offense looks completely lost out there. Nothing has changed since pre-Eberflus, which is precisely the issue. Don't expect Brown back on the sideline in 2025.

1. Ryan Poles cannot return as Bears GM — he just can't

The obvious next-in-line for Bears scapegoats is GM Ryan Poles, who hasn't been able to build the necessary support system around No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Again, this season was supposed to be a coming out party of sorts, with Williams elevating Chicago to the next realm of contention. Instead, it has been an unmitigated debacle.

All the coaches deserve blame, especially Eberflus, but he wasn't in charge of setting the roster and engineering the right personnel balance. That is Poles' job, which he has failed at — consistently. Just look at Chicago's biggest investments.

The Bears poured infinite resources into the WR position, signing D.J. Moore, trading for Keenan Allen, and drafting Rome Odunze. Chicago ranks 27th in passing yards per game. The Bears shelled out cash for D'Andre Swift and a revamped run game. Chicago is 22nd in rushing yards, with an O-line that can't block for the run or protect Caleb Williams in the pocket.

We can look at Montez Sweat, who the Bears gave up a second-round pick for last season in a shocking trade predicated on taking 'the leap' in 2024. Consider the leap not taken, with Sweat gravely underperforming as Washington reaps the benefits of trading him. It's brutal.

Every big swing from Poles has whiffed. Even the Williams pick is generating consternation around the fanbase, all because Poles couldn't put a winning team around him. He has failed Williams, the organization at large, and every Bears fan sitting at home. There's no way Poles can remain in charge once the season ends.