Bears latest team to seek permission to talk to Eric DeCosta

It looks like Eric DeCosta will have choices if he would like to finally leave the Baltimore Ravens.

The director of player personnel for the Ravens has three teams pursuing him as the Chicago Bears requested permission to interview DeCosta today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts are also in the mix for DeCosta, who in the past has turned down potential opportunities to leave the Ravens, where he is viewed as the eventual successor to Ozzie Newsome.

The Rams and the Colts would offer DeCosta complete control. In Chicago, the Bears are mandating that their general manager work with coach Lovie Smith for the 2012 season.

Is Bears president Ted Phillips worried that stipulation will discourage potential candidates?

“I’m really not,” Phillips said Monday. “I think that there’s a lot of candidates out there that would be proud to work with a coach like Lovie Smith and when they take a look at the staff he has and some of the success we’ve had and some of the players we have in place, I don’t think it’s going to be an issue at all.”

Stay tuned.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune