Cubs: Could Theo Epstein lead the Chicago Bears to greatness?

Is former Cubs executive Theo Epstein the answer for the Chicago Bears?

It’s not particularly easy to be a Chicago sports fan right now, especially when it comes to the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears. The Cubs are in the midst of a general manager search since former president of baseball operations Theo Epstein stepped down after nine seasons of service and passed that torch down to the team’s former GM Jed Hoyer.

Not only that, National Football League insiders have predicted that current Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace will likely be stepping down at the end of the Bears’ season – and more changes could follow soon after.

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Thus, the currently 7-7, potentially playoff-bound football team will also be embarking on a search for a new general manager. With this in mind, names have already been thrown out there as journalists, fans and the latter have been eagerly speculating via Twitter and other social media platforms who the Bears next general manager will be.

One of the names that have been mentioned a lot recently is Theo Epstein. It should be noted that this is just speculation, and while the more you read into it the more it seems to make sense, it is still unlikely.

When Epstein resigned from his position with the Cubs earlier this year, he mentioned one detail that would make this entire situation plausible. Via NBC Chicago, regarding his future with his family, Epstein said that he planned on calling Chicago home, both in the short and, potentially, long-term.

Having Epstein in the Windy City is a notable aspect of his possible ascendance to working in the Chicago Bears organization. In addition to this idea, Epstein would not be the first upper-level baseball executive to football.

The most notable example of this would be Paul DePodesta, who was featured in “Moneyball,” and played by Jonah Hill, was an executive for the Cleveland Browns after holding many executive positions in Major League Baseball. In addition to that, Billy Beane who was portrayed in the movie by Brad Pitt, has been tied to European football opportunities, as well.

However, besides these two points, Epstein to the Chicago Bears is a very far-fetched idea. For starters, the Cooperstown-bound executive made it clear that he wants to take time off before returning to take on a new role in the baseball realm. And, look, he has the resume to get whatever job in baseball he wants, would it be worth it for him to jump to an entirely new arena at this stage of the game?

Yes, the Chicago Bears do desperately need an organizational overhaul and there is a lot of work for them to do. However, is Epstein the right fit? It’s a nice idea, but the answer lies with the McCaskeys, how they handle the situation, and if they decide to pursue the Cubs legend. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.