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Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles’ contract situation takes a turn amid coaching search

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Dec 9, 2024 12:05 PM ET

A logical takeaway from the Chicago Bears‘ 38-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, sans ex-head coach Matt Eberflus, might be that the roster and locker room culture general manager Ryan Poles has constructed is substandard.

But that could get you a raise at Halas Hall.

Bears CEO Kevin Warren gave Poles a vote of confidence about his job security during last week’s press conference. Of course, Warren backed Poles before telling the world Poles would not be solely in charge of deciding Matt Eberflus’ replacement.

The Bears’ apparent dysfunction in all spaces, from ownership to the front office, is a turn-off to head coaching candidates. One understandable worry for any potential hire is the status of Poles. Poles said he could “work through” any questions a candidate would have about working with a GM on the hot seat.

Who will the new Chicago Bears head coach report to?

However, the Bears could be backed into a corner.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune quoted an NFL executive who walked through the process of questions a coaching candidate would ask about the head coach reports to the GM, CEO, and ownership.

“I am definitely going to ask who am I reporting to,” the executive said. “What is that structure like? Who am I meeting with every week? Am I meeting with Ryan and then Kevin and then George (McCaskey) also? Tell me how many times I have to do that. I’ve got to run this football team. “Who has final decision on the 53-man roster? Who do I have to go to when we are hiring assistant coaches? Who has that authority?”

Will Ryan Poles sign an extension?

Any incoming coach would have to be okay working with Warren and Poles. Biggs thinks the Bears might have to extend Poles’ contract in order to project confidence about the long-term prospects of a healthy relationship between the head coach and GM in Halas Hall.

“You can’t rule out the possibility Poles will receive a contract extension as evidence he’s on solid ground and to have the new football duo aligned,” Biggs wrote. “That’s just my speculation at this juncture and there’s no salary cap for the front office, so we’re only talking about McCaskey money here. Every candidate will see untapped potential in Williams. The Bears’ top choice will need to believe Poles and his staff can get the roster right around the quarterback. Poles has to sell himself, and that’s an area where he probably can do well: meeting face-to-face with head coaching candidates.”

Poles is 14-33 as the general manager of the Bears. He’s culpable for constructing a team that has gone 4-9 this season. Giving Poles an extension would be a wild move amid three unforgettably bad years in Chicago.

Then again, Warren allowed Poles to retain Eberflus after going 10-24 in his first two seasons, and in the same offseason Chicago planned to take a rookie quarterback in the draft.

The Bears don’t make good decisions.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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