Ryan Poles has had just as many hits as misses in his time as the Chicago Bears' General Manager. That is why the debate raged on this winter about whether the team should fire him or not. However, with his back against the wall, the hiring of Ben Johnson solidified that he will be the GM, not only in 2025 but for a few years to come.
Poles will be tied to both Johnson and Caleb Williams. He made the trade that netted the Bears the number one overall pick. He may have drafted the best quarterback in franchise history. He deserves a leash beyond the Chase Claypool trade and Tremaine Edmunds signing.
While Poles did hire Matt Eberflus, it always felt like an arraigned marriage from the jump. In this case, he had an asset in Williams that was able to attract the best candidate and by all accounts, he hired the name that every fan wanted.
Ryan Poles restored his value to the Chicago Bears' organization.
Poles brought Bears fans the coach they wanted and the quarterback that all fans had been dreaming about for years. That is the easiest way to buy job security.
Things could go horribly wrong. If Williams is bad in year one with his new coach, and Johnson comes off as a pushover who wants to do nothing but draw plays it is going to look awful for Poles. However, it is so hard to see the Bears scrapping it that quick.
Johnson and Williams get multiple years to sort this out and while they sort it out, Poles will be overseeing them. Williams essentially has three years before the Bears have to think about paying him. If there is any debate about paying him as a franchise quarterback, we can talk about Poles seat getting hot. That is three years, and two at the earliest away from now.