While Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has some bigger fish to fry this offseason, it doesn't mean he's not getting ready for what could be the defining decision for the franchise coming up.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams put up a great season last year, leading the team to their first division title since 2018 and their first playoff win since 2015. That has led to early abouts what is going to happen with a future contract extension for the franchise signal caller. Poles know the decision is coming soon, and they have already begun planning for it.
“We’re making progress. That is exciting to even be thinking about planning for that. It’s exciting. But then there’s a challenge after that, too," Poles said via Chicago Sun-Times. "It’s really a summer project. Matt Feinstein is digging into it now. We’ve had some preliminary conversations because we want to take some of these things into consideration as we build the team.’’
Ryan Poles is getting ready for Bears to give Caleb Williams a massive payday
Williams finished last year with a franchise-record 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns to seven interceptions, adding another three touchdowns on the ground in 17 regular season games. His 13 career interceptions in 34 games have him pacing for an NFL record for interception percentage at 1.1%.
Going into the 2026 season, Williams will be in his third year of a four-year, $39.4 million rookie contract, with next offseason giving the Bears the option to pick up his fifth-year option. Since that fifth year could be very expensive, Chicago might instead just get his contract extension done then.
There might be some interesting decisions coming in the 2026 NFL Draft, as Poles now has to have the mindset to save money for a massive contract extension coming for Williams. That will lead to some players not being re-signed, getting cut, or being traded to save room. This offseason has already started that process with guys like DJ Moore and Tremaine Edmunds out the door.
Read more: Bears' latest mock draft does the exact opposite of what Ryan Poles would do
Bears fans certainly hope Poles can knock it out of the park during the NFL Draft again, like last year, so that they can save all their money for Williams to potentially either hit at least over $50 million per year or reset the quarterback market with a new deal.