New England Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht, one of two finalists for the vacant Chicago Bears general manager position, will have his second interview with the club Thursday.
Licht was the first of the original five candidates to meet with the Bears. His first interview with team management was Jan. 16.
Kansas City Chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery, the other finalist, is expected to be back at Halas Hall on Friday for his second interview.
Besides two work stops in New England, Licht's NFL career has included time in Miami, Carolina, Philadelphia and Arizona. While Patriots coach Bill Belichick holds the majority, if not all, of the decision making power in New England, Licht has built a reputation in the NFL scouting community as a sharp thinker with an eye for evaluating talent.
He also has had the luxury of working alongside bright football minds such as Belichick, Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, Browns GM Tom Heckert, Indianapolis Colts GM Ryan Grigson, Arizona Cardinals GM Rod Graves and former Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson, to name a few.
NFL scouts who worked with Licht in Philadelphia say his personnel reports are "concise" and convincing. He was considered one of the rising stars in the Eagles organization before being pushed out in 2008.
The challenge for Licht, however, might be convincing the Bears to hire a younger GM who does not have previous ties to the organization and the current scouting department. Emery, a 31-year football veteran, worked for the Bears as an area scout from 1998-2004 before going on to land jobs with Atlanta and Kansas City.
Jeff Dickerson covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.