Success Of Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson Is Tied To Caleb Williams

Patience has indeed proven to be a virtue with Ryan Poles, the Chicago Bears’ fourth-year general manager. He was hired for a four-year term in 2022 and is being rewarded with a contract extension that runs through 2029.

This gives Poles an eight-year commitment from Bears ownership and president Kevin Warren despite his having produced a 15-36 record in his first two seasons. His predecessor, Ryan Pace, had a 48-65 record over seven seasons, including a 22-27 mark in his final three.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Friday Poles is receiving an extension that gives him the same timing on his deal as head coach Ben Johnson, who Poles hired in January after making Matt Eberflus the Bears’ first-ever coach fired in midseason.

Poles had hired Eberflus on his third day on the job after inheriting a coaching search that had been run at the same time Chairman George McCaskey was searching for a new GM to replace Pace. It was a dubious process that did little other than to allow the Bears to assemble talent through the draft in the Eberflus years, biding their time in hope of becoming relevant again.

That time arrives in 2025, with the Bears hoping for at least a winning season in the deep NFC North. The success of quarterback Caleb Williams, who was taken with the first overall pick in the ’24 draft, is critical for both Poles and Johnson, who chose to sign with Chicago after earning respect while building an explosive offense behind Jared Goff in Detroit.

Poles has proven to be a skilled negotiator in seemingly upgrading the roster. He rebuilt the offensive line after Williams was sacked 68 times in his rookie season, adding Chiefs All-Pro guard Joe Thuney at the cost of only a fourth-round pick while also signing free agent center Drew Dalman and trading for guard Jonah Jackson.

His signature move was the trading of the first overall pick to Carolina in ’23, which at the time committed a third season to struggling quarterback Justin Fields, whom Poles had inherited from Pace. Rather than draft Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, he took wide receiver D.J. Moore and a package of draft pick to allow the Panthers to move from ninth to first overall.

Poles turned those picks into Williams, tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, punter Tory Taylor and wide receiver Luther Burden III.

“Yeah, I feel pretty good,” Poles said after selecting Burden in the second round last April. “I think it’s worked out for us.”

The moves have certainly worked well for Poles, who had worked in the Chiefs’ front office before being hired by McCaskey. The hope is they also work out for the franchise and its fans.

Leila Rahimi, the insightful talk show host for WSCR, summed up the feeling in Chicago nicely.

“You just got paid for winning an offseason, not a season,” Rahimi said. “I want to see a season.”