This time of year, every rumor surrounding a possible destination for coaches out of work is conjecture at best. But that being said, there’s almost always a kernel of truth hidden between all the nonsense, and when it comes to the discussion on Mike Shanahan, that’s certainly the case.

His seven hour meeting with the Bills a while back notwithstanding, Shanahan would prefer to take a wait and see approach to where he might be working next fall, biding his time while the regular season heads into the home stretch and waiting for all the shoes to drop so to speak. Once the list is set on the teams that will be actively searching for a new head coach though, you can bet he’ll be at the forefront of all the action.

ESPN Insider (membership required) recently discussed the probability of Shanahan ending up on the sidelines with the Bears and the Texans, and while neither team currently has an opening for a head coach, both franchises make sense as possible locations for his return to the league, as they would offer Shanahan a roster full of talent to work with right from the start.

Chicago is especially intriguing given that Shanahan’s former quarterback Jay Cutler is now firmly entrenched as the starter there, and given the way the team has played as of late, there has been talk of firing both head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo at the end of the year. One of the things that Shanahan prefers in a new gig is the ability to make roster decisions himself, so having both jobs become available in the Windy City would seemingly work out in his favor.

Houston on the other hand would not necessarily offer Shanahan a master key to the franchise, but they do have a family connection already in place to make things more appealing, in the form of his son, Kyle Shanahan, who is the current offensive coordinator for the Texans. That said, it’s difficult to imagine Shanahan taking over the job in Houston from his good friend and former offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, and who’s to say the Texans would want to continue on with the younger Shanahan calling the plays after another disappointing season without a trip to the playoffs.

All in all, Shanahan’s best bet will be to sit tight for the time being, as there is no telling what jobs will open up once the season is complete. As always, we’ll be there to keep you up to date when things heat up.

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