NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 29: Head Coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints shakes hands after the game with Head Coach John Fox of the Chicago Bears at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 29, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Bears 20-12. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace is reportedly preparing to make a change at the team’s head coaching position.

As the Chicago Bears have collapsed from 3-4 to 3-8 on the season, general manager Ryan Pace has received some criticism for operating behind the scenes and not addressing the team’s regression as the season has progressed.

There may be a reason for that.

Pace could be at work preparing for what should be a busy off-season for the Bears. According to NFL front office insider Greg Gabriel of Pro Football Weekly, Pace has already compiled a list of head coaching candidates to replace current head coach John Fox.

While the report certainly draws the conclusion that Fox will be fired at the conclusion of the 2017 NFL regular season, Gabriel does stress that an in-season coaching change will not happen. The reason why an in-season coaching change will not happen is that, according to Gabriel’s sources, current Bears’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is not on the short list of candidates that Pace has compiled to replace Fox.

Prior to Gabriel’s report, there had been an increase in fan speculation that the Bears could fire Fox in-season and allow Fangio to audition for the head coaching position. Not only will that not happen but Gabriel’s report mentions that Pace is already preparing for Fangio to leave the Bears’ organization once his contract expires at the end of the season and the team ushers in a new coaching regime.

No love for Fangio?

Pace and the Bears’ organization certainly will draw some criticism for not taking a look at Fangio but such criticism may be misguided. Fangio has never been a legitimate head coaching candidate despite his overwhelming success as a defensive coordinator. The closest Fangio came to becoming a head coach was after he received a “due diligence” interview for the San Francisco 49ers head coaching vacancy after the team fired Jim Harbaugh. Needless to say, the Bears are not alone in their assessment that Fangio is not head coach material.

Who is on Ryan Pace’s short list of candidates?

If Fangio is not on the short list to replace Fox, then who is?

Let’s get the big name out of the way first. Yes, Pace likely does have some degree of interest in Harbaugh. There have been growing rumors that the right fit could persuade Harbaugh to make the jump from the University of Michigan back to the NFL. The Bears’ certainly could be an enticing opportunity for Harbaugh. The biggest selling point that the Bears have is quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Harbaugh could have interest in coming to Chicago and working with Trubisky and finding the same success that he had with Colin Kaepernick during his time in San Francisco.

As always with the NFL, it is a “who do you know” type of business. Operating under that philosophy, Pace’s short list likely contains coaches that he may have worked with during his time with the New Orleans Saints organization. No, Sean Payton is not coming to Chicago. But, Pace could take a look at Saints’ offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. When Pace was introduced as the general manager of the Bears, he made no secret that he wanted to emulate the blueprint of the Saints. For Pace, a combination of Carmichael as his head coach and Trubisky as his quarterback may be the closest that he gets to emulating Payton and Drew Brees.

If not the Saints, then Pace may look to take a page out of the New England Patriots’ playbook. Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia are expected to be among the hottest head coaching candidates this off-season. Of the two, Patricia may have the most appeal considering he has a background in both offense and defense.

An emerging candidate within the NFC North is Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. If not for his name alone, Cooter would be an interesting choice for the Bears. Cooter’s work with Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford has been highly praised and he could be an ideal candidate for Pace if the Bears’ general manager is looking for an offensive-minded head coach.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace is preparing the team for life after John Fox. The only question that remains is who is the best candidate to replace Fox as head coach? Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts.