Back in 2022, there were two notable general manager hires made during that offseason: Ryan Poles to the Chicago Bears and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to the Minnesota Vikings.
Poles interviewed with the Vikings for their opening. He ultimately decided to go with the Bears and Minnesota had to settle for Adofo-Mensah.
Ever since then, everyone has said that Adofo-Mensah was doing a better job than Poles because of the successes of the team. The Vikings made the postseason twice in three years, while the Bears couldn't even get a winning record.
Everything changed in 2025 as the Bears finally got the upper hand with an 11-6 record and an NFC North division title, while the Vikings went 9-8 and missed out on the playoffs. That was enough for the Vikings to stun the NFL world by firing Adofo-Mensah after four years on the job.
Ryan Poles gets the last laugh over Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
All the moves and criticism that Poles took over the years finally paid off, as the Bears proved to be the better team than the Vikings and had a brighter future. Chicago got four future starters in the 2025 NFL Draft, while Minnesota only had five total picks in the same draft.
Even before that, Poles did great work getting three worthy starting offensive linemen in free agency or through trade, helping set the Bears up for success. The Vikings spent nearly $300 million just to miss the playoffs in 2025.
What's ironic about this situation is that both Poles and Adofo-Mensah received contract extensions during the 2025 offseason, and Poles stood tall. Adofo-Mensah held his job for only eight months after signing that extension before being fired.
Before Bears fans ever go back and try to complain about Poles and the work he does, just remember what he has done. Even before the 2025 offseason, he not only acquired DJ Moore but also obtained two first-round picks, which he used on Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze to set the franchise up for future success.
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This is a massive win for Poles, who had a bad start to his tenure with the Bears, but ended up coming out on top as the better general manager, as Chicago is set up to be a Super Bowl contender in 2026.