Detroit’s NFC North rival, the Chicago Bears made an interesting front office move over the weekend. The Bears locked up GM Ryan Poles with a fresh five-year contract extension.
As a Lions fan, you might be wondering why Chicago would do such a thing. Some Bears fans likely feel that way too, given Poles’ ugly 15-36 record through three seasons as the man in charge of football decisions. That includes a disastrous 2024 season, which saw Poles fire his handpicked head coach, Matt Eberflus, as the Bears roster floundered to a 5-12 finish after a 10-game losing streak.
Chicago is clearly looking forward with Poles, believing in the process more than the evidentiary outcomes to this point. Poles is now contractually aligned with rookie head coach Ben Johnson, the former Lions offensive coordinator, through the 2029 season. The Bears are hoping the long-term contracts and symbiotic pairing pans out the way it has for the Lions with GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. Like the initial reaction to the Lions moves back in 2021, extending Poles and tying his fate with an unproven head coach leaves many scratching thier heads more than cheering from the rooftops.
To Poles’ credit, he’s done a lot of work in overhauling a stale, overpaid and undertalented Bears roster that he inherited. Via trades, drafts and free agency, Poles has stocked the Bears into a collection of talent that many believe can challenge the Lions in 2025 and beyond for supremacy in the NFC North. Much of that will depend on 2024 No. 1 overall pick, QB Caleb Williams, and how well he and Johnson progress together.
Skepticism should be warranted for both. However, the Bears actually having a long-term plan and some appreciably impressive talent on the roster on both sides of the ball is not something Lions fans should ignore. Poles and Johnson might be the next edition of Holmes-Campbell, but Chicago could also be bearing down hard into the next Bob Quinn/Matt Patricia pairing. Time will tell…
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: NFC North watch: Reacting to the Bears extending GM Ryan Poles
Reporting by Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
