On May 12th, 2023, former Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery retired. Emery was a strength and conditioning coach for various universities in the 1980s and 1990s. He then joined the Bears as a scout from 1998 to 2004. From 2005 to 2008, Emery was the director of college scouting for the Atlanta Falcons. He held the same position in the Kansas City Chiefs’ front office from 2009 to 2011. Emery replaced Jerry Angelo as the general manager of the Chicago Bears in 2012. Emery served in that role until he was fired in 2014. Emery’s inability to draft well, poor free agent signings and horrible staff hirings lead to his failure as GM of the Bears.
Draft Picks
Emery made 20 picks as general manager of the Chicago Bears. Of those 20 selections, two turned into complete busts, and only five made notable impacts.
Shea McClellin was the first draft pick of Emery’s tenure. The Bears selected edge rusher McClellin with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Alongside Kevin White and Mitchell Trubisky, McClellin is one of the biggest first-round draft busts in recent Chicago Bears memory. In four seasons as a Bear, he registered 161 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and one forced fumble. McClellin’s main contribution as a Bear was breaking Aaron Rodgers’ collarbone on November 4th, 2013. The Bears went on to win that game 27-20 in Lambeau Field.
The Bears selected wide receiver Alshon Jeffery with the 45th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. In five seasons with the Bears, Jeffery amassed 4,549 yards and 26 touchdowns on 204 receptions. Jeffery was one of Emery’s draft picks that turned out to be a success. In 2013, Jeffery made the Pro Bowl and was named the NFL’s Most Improved Player by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). Jeffery went on to win Super Bowl 52 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kyle Long was the 20th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. As a Bear, Long mainly played right guard and started in 76 out of the 77 games he played. Long made three Pro Bowls, was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2013, and 2nd Team All-Pro by the Associated Press (AP) in 2014.
Jonathan Bostic was the 50th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Bostic was the Bears’ starting middle linebacker for only two seasons. In 29 games for the Bears, Bostic amassed 142 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and one interception. In 2015, Bostic was traded to the New England Patriots for a 2016 fifth-round pick.
Kyle Fuller was the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Fuller was the Bears’ starting cornerback for six seasons. In his time as a Bear, Fuller accumulated 390 total tackles, six tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and 19 interceptions. Fuller made two Pro Bowls and was named 1st Team All-Pro by the AP in 2018.
Pat O’Donnell was selected with the 191st pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. O’Donnell spent eight years as the Bears’ starting punter, missing only two games. He averaged 45.1 yards per punt and 39.6 net yards per punt. He left for Green Bay after the 2021 NFL season, and Ryan Poles replaced him by drafting Trenton Gill.
Charles Leno Jr was selected with the 246th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Leno was a member of the Bears for seven seasons and was the Bears starting left tackle for six seasons, a very impressive feat for a seventh-round pick.
Major Transactions (Free Agent Signings, Contract Extensions and Trades)
On May 12th, 2012, Emery signed cornerback Tim Jennings to a two-year, $6.6 million extension. After signing the extension, Jennings proved his worth by having a breakout year. He had a career-high nine interceptions in 2012 and followed that up by contributing four interceptions in 2013. Jennings made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2013 and was named 2nd Team All-Pro in 2012 by the AP. Emery extended Jennings again in 2014 by signing him to a four-year contract worth $22.4 million. He had zero interceptions in 2014 and was released in 2015.
Emery placed the franchise tag on running back Matt Forte on March 4th, 2012. From 2008 to 2011, Forte accumulated 4,233 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, 1,985 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. Forte and the Bears eventually worked out a four-year extension worth $30.4 million. Forte finished his stint in Chicago with a total of 8,026 rushing yards, 45 rushing touchdowns, 4,116 receiving yards and 19 receiving touchdowns. Forte signed with the New York Jets in 2016 and retired in 2018.
On March 13th, 2012, Emery traded two third-round picks (one in 2012 and one in 2013) to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Brandon Marshall. In 2014, Marshall signed a three-year, $30 million extension. Marshall went on to play in Chicago for three seasons. He amassed 3.524 yards and 31 touchdowns on 279 receptions. Marshall and Alshon Jeffery made a dangerous one-two punch in the passing game. In 2015, the Bears traded Marshall and a 2015 seventh-round pick to the New York Jets for a 2015 fifth-round pick that became Adrian Amos.
Emery made two major free agent signings in 2013: tight end Martellus Bennett and offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod. Bennett signed a four-year contract worth $20.4 million. Bennett lasted three years in the Windy City, totaling 2,114 yards and 14 touchdowns on 208 catches. In 2016, the Bears traded Bennett and a 2016 sixth-round pick to the New England Patriots for a 2014 fourth-round pick, which became Deiondre Hall. Jermon Bushrod signed a five-year, $35.965 million contract with the Bears. Bushrod made the Pro Bowl in 2011 and 2012 as a member of the New Orleans Saints. In three years with the Bears, Bushrod started 34 games at left tackle and never made the Pro Bowl again. Bushrod was released by the Bears in 2016.
On January 2nd, 2014, Emery extended three players. Emery extended Jay Cutler to a seven-year contract worth $126.7 million. In the end, this was a mistake. Less than three months later, the Bears restructured Cutler’s deal to free up cap space. Cutler never played an entire season after signing his extension and didn’t lead the Bears to the playoffs. Cutler was released by Chicago in 2017. Then, he signed offensive guard Matt Slauson to a four-year extension worth $12.8 million. Slauson was coming off a season where he started all 16 games for the Bears at left guard. After his extension, Slauson played five games in 2014 and 16 games in 2015. Slauson was released by the Bears in 2016. Tim Jennings only lasted one more season in Chicago after his four-year extension.
On March 26th, 2014, defensive end Jared Allen signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Bears. Before Allen arrived in Chicago, he had amassed 128.5 sacks across ten seasons. But he only had 5.5 sacks in two seasons as a Bear and was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2015 in exchange for a 2016 sixth-round pick.
Head Coaches and Coordinators
Emery fired Lovie Smith after the Bears finished with a 10-6 record and missed the playoffs. He then hired Marc Trestman from the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Before he arrived in Chicago, Trestman was an offensive coordinator in the NFL for ten years and was head coach of the Montreal Alouettes for five years. Trestman was the head coach for the Bears in 2013 and 2014.
Trestman‘s offensive coordinator was Aaron Kromer. In 2013, the Bears ranked eighth in the NFL in total yards per game and were tied for second in points per game. In 2014, the Bears were 21st in total yards per game and 23rd in points per game.
Trestman’s defensive coordinator was Mel Tucker. Under Tucker’s watch, the Bears’ defense was one of the worst in the NFL. The Bears’ defense ranked 30th in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed in 2013 and 2014.
Trestman had a record of 13-19 as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
Team Results
With Emery at the helm, the Chicago Bears went 23-25 and missed the playoffs in all three seasons he was in charge.
Phil Emery was fired, along with Marc Trestman, on December 29th, 2014. Emery played a significant part in ruining the Bears in the early 2010s. Only 25% of his draft picks panned out, and most of his veteran free agent signings were failures. Emery made the Bears mediocre, leaving them with no future to be excited about.
Goodbye, Phil Emery! Enjoy retirement. Bears fans will not miss you.
