The Bears announced the promotion of their contract negotiator, Matt Feinstein. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Chicago Bears give contract negotiator promotion; what about the GM?

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Gene Chamberlain | Last updated Feb 21, 2025 5:07 PM ET

The Bears have rewarded the man integral to any player contract they sign.

Matt Feinstein has been promoted from director of football administration to vice president of football administration.

"Matt is an invaluable asset to our football operation, and his well-earned promotion benefits our entire organization,” general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement issued by the team. "We look forward to Matt continuing to play an integral role in our pursuit of championship-level performance, and we are excited that Matt and his family remain members of the Chicago Bears family."

It's been five offseasons since the #Bears have had to truly restructure an existing contract to create cap space. So, it's easy to forget that's an option.

Poles doesn't need to cut anyone. Everett makes sense & maybe Bates but everyone else is flexible. 1/2
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) February 21, 2025

Feinstein has been chief contract negotiator and the salary cap expert for the Bears since he replaced Joey Laine in this role. Feinstein has had other roles with the team, as well.

During the search for a head coach, Feinstein was praised for his contributions in helping them sign Ben Johnson.

Feinstein was made director of football administration at the outset of Poles' era as GM. He had worked from 2015 through 2022 for the NFL in analytics and labor relations.

It does make one wonder what the next step is for ownership when the contract negotiator is getting a promotion and the GM is due for a contract extension while earning praise from team president. Could that Ryan Poles extension merely be a matter of finishing the 2025 draft?

Top 20 Bears Bears Salary Cap hits for 2025. Edmunds is extremely overpaid for his production ‍♂️ who else needs to be cut/ contract restructered ? pic.twitter.com/klnHmloAzd
— Captain Caleb (@captaincaleb18) February 12, 2025