Chicago Bears sign GM Ryan Poles to huge contract extension

Ryan Poles first joined the Chicago Bears as general manager in the 2022 offseason, following the ousting of former GM Ryan Pace, and debuted to mixed reviews. He appeared to be a bit overwhelmed in his first press conference and said the infamous 'We're going to take the NFC North and never give it back' line, which rival fanbases have since used as a way to mock Bears fans, given Chicago's dismal record since then.

Despite three losing seasons and some questionable moves, however, Poles has also proven to be a shrewd businessman and someone who can learn from past mistakes. Since drafting Caleb Williams, investing heavily in the O-line, and hiring head coach Ben Johnson, many Bears fans have professed their faith in 'King Poles'. Apparently, the Bears' ownership feels the same way.

NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rappoport broke the news on Friday afternoon that Ryan Poles signed a contract extension with the Chicago Bears that will tie him to the organization through 2029, which puts him on the same schedule as Ben Johnson.

Some fans may roll their eyes and complain that a 15-36 record isn't worthy of a contract extension. The Vikings recently gave their GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was hired around the same time as Poles, an extension, but the Vikings won nearly as many games in 2024 alone as the Bears have since 2022.

To the doubters, I say that this extension isn't rewarding Poles for what he's done but rather reflects a vote of confidence in what Poles will be doing with this team. Remember, Poles chose a full teardown of the Bears roster as his first order of business. Go look at that 2022 roster and ask yourself how they were ever supposed to win more than three games that year. That first year as GM was more or less a throw-away year, and I would guess that Chicago's ownership was well aware of that.

Since then, Poles has built what looks like a strong foundation. He has his quarterback, an offensive line, plenty of weapons, a revitalized defense, and now a rockstar head coach to bring it all together. In two years, we may look at this extension as good business for the Bears for having locked in Poles before his value skyrocketed.

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