Lake Forest, IL– On Tuesday afternoon, the Chicago Bears made the decision to hire Kansas City Chiefs Executive Director player of personnel Ryan Poles, making him the 14th general manager in team history. The 36-year old Poles will now walk into a situation where he’ll need to get the Bears back to prominence with important pieces such as quarterback Justin Fields already in place.
Despite spending his entire NFL career with just one team, Poles’ tenure in Kansas City shouldn’t be overlooked. After joining the Chiefs organization in 2009 as a scouting assistant, Poles worked his way up the ladder, spending time as a college scouting coordinator, director of college scouting, assistant director of player personnel, and executive director of player personnel.
The work now begins for Poles who will be tasked with hiring a head coach, helping the Bears get back to relevance, and with widespread changes expected to take place in the NFC North this offseason, the Bears could take control of the division relatively quickly. Poles college experience includes playing football at Boston College, playing offensive line, blocking for current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Poles also had a brief stint with the Bears as an undrafted free agent during the 2008 season but failed to make any sort of significant impact.
The Bears are clearly excited about Poles’ potential. For a front office executive who’s had an instrumental voice in helping rebuild the Chiefs over the last few years. Through the NFL Draft, the Chiefs have added names like Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Poles also helped rebuild the Chiefs’ offensive line during the 2021 offseason, adding veteran Joe Thuney via free agency and drafting rookies Creed Humphery and Trey Smith in the 2021 NFL Draft.
While the Bears have yet to officially announce Poles as the team’s GM, the general buzz around the Bears fanbase seems to be excitement regarding Poles being hired.