Bears hire Ryan Poles as general manager after 13 years in Kansas City
Ryan Poles joins the Chicago Bears as general manager.
Nearly 15 years after signing with the Bulls as an undrafted free agent and then failing to make the final roster, Poles was named as Chicago’s general manager on Tuesday.
Poles worked in the Chiefs front office for the previous 13 seasons. Under general manager Brett Veach, he served as senior director of
player personnel last year. When Kansas City selected Patrick Mahomes with the No. 10 overall pick in 2017—after Chicago selected
Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 pick—he was the team’s director of college scouting.
“The Chicago Bears are one of the flagship franchises in the National Football League and are recognized as one of the most
prestigious clubs in all of sports,” Poles stated.
It’s a privilege for me to be a part of this esteemed organization. I’m excited to get started as soon as possible with my family in order
to give this organization, its supporters, and the city what they deserve: a winning team and a Super Bowl trophy.”
After a 6-11 campaign, the Bears fired coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace in the hopes that fresh management would
turn around a flagging team. They assembled a search team of five, including president Ted Phillips and chairman George McCaskey,
and brought in Hall of Fame CEO Bill Polian to serve as its leader.
Poles’ primary responsibility will be to stabilize the quarterback position, which has plagued the NFL team since its inception for many
years.
Maximizing Justin Fields’ Potential
That probably entails figuring out how to maximize Justin Fields’ potential and surrounding him with talented individuals who can aid
in his development. The former Ohio State standout had a difficult debut campaign, but he also had promise.
Reviving the franchise will need significant work. He must first assist the squad in selecting a coach following Nagy’s dismissal.
Later same day, the Bears revealed that Poles had conducted interviews with Jim Caldwell regarding the coaching position. On
January 15, Caldwell also spoke with the organization regarding the role.
In the last thirty years, Chicago has only made seven trips to the playoffs.
“We are ecstatic to have someone with Ryan’s experience and knowledge of football join our team,” McCaskey stated in a statement.
“His achievements with the Chiefs are self-evident and have enhanced the team’s reputation as one of the top teams in the league. We
have faith that he will guide us to our objective of bringing a Super Bowl victory to Chicago.”
Poles, 36, was a defensive end at Boston College and a stand-in quarterback for the Falcons, Matt Ryan. Despite signing with the Bears in 2008, he was not included on the roster.
Team’s seventh general manager in its existence.
In the seven years since Pace was brought in from New Orleans’ front office in 2015 to take Phil Emery‘s place, the Bears have finished 48–65, with one winning season, and have advanced to the postseason twice. In four seasons, Nagy went 34–31, with seven of eight losses coming to rival Green Bay. That included a defeat at Soldier Field in October when Aaron Rodgers yelled, “I still own you!” to the crowd following his touchdown run to help the Packers defeat Chicago for the second week in a row. You are still mine!”
Pace’s failure to secure a permanent quarterback position tainted his tenure.
When he used the No. 2 pick in 2017 to move up and select Trubisky over Mahomes, it was a mistake. In addition, he paid for Andy Dalton, traded for Nick Foles, and signed Mike Glennon. And there’s still uncertainty over Fields’ future.
Last season, Chicago was ranked 27th in scoring and 24th in yards per game. Under Nagy, who was brought in from Andy Reid’s staff in Kansas City to develop Trubisky and turn around a faltering offense, the Bears never finished higher than 21st overall.
Fields demonstrated the arm, speed, and poise that made Pace move up nine spots in the draft order with the New York Giants, selecting him with the 11th overall pick. He still has a lot of room to develop, though.
After Dalton was hurt in Week 2, Fields, who was penciled in as the backup, took over as the starting. He had a dismal 73.2 passer rating and threw ten more interceptions than touchdown passes (seven). Fields also missed time due to ailments to his ankle and ribs. In the games he started, the Bears had a record of 2-8.
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