The Chicago Bears were hoping to go into the weekend with good vibes after the news of general manager Ryan Poles' five-year contract extension. Not everyone is buying into the excitement.
Chicago reporter Leila Rahimi and other media personalities in the city were on 670 The Score as they reacted to the news of Poles' extension. Rahimi did not hold back on her feelings that he's missed on some moves and needs to prove himself worthy of the extension.
“I’m glad that you aligned the timeline (with Ben Johnson). That had to be done. But you just got paid for winning an offseason, not a season. I want to see a season.”
.@leilarahimi reacts to the Bears reaching a contract extension with Ryan Poles: “I’m glad that you aligned the timeline (with Ben Johnson). That had to be done. But you just got paid for winning an offseason, not a season. I want to see a season.” pic.twitter.com/9H2ikikaZy
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) July 11, 2025
Poles still has a lot of work to do to earn the trust of Bears fans
This offseason, on paper, looks like one of the offseasons the Bears have had in a long time. They went big on the offensive line with three new projected starters in Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson to sure up the interior of the line. On defense, they signed Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett to add some pass rushers to take the pressure off of Montez Sweat.
Poles was busy in the NFL Draft as well with four selections within the first two rounds. Here is who he got out of those picks:
- Round 1, Pick 10 - Colston Loveland, TE
- Round 2, Pick 39 - Luther Burden III, WR
- Round 2, Pick 56 - Ozzy Trapilo, OT
- Round 2, Pick 62 - Shemar Turner, DT
Not to mention, Poles went big at head coach as he hired the most sought-after man of the offseason, Ben Johnson. The work with the Detroit Lions showed Johnson can bring a below-average offense into one of the best units in the league.
All that is nice, but it doesn't excuse the mistakes made in the past by Poles.
Let's start with the disaster that was hiring Matt Eberflus as his first head coach. The team went 15-36 in Poles and Eberflus' first three seasons, with Eberflus not even finishing 2024 as the head coach, as he was fired after the Thanksgiving time management debacle.
Poles also had his fair share of roster moves that he would like to have back. He traded Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2022 offseason. He also traded another big-name defender in Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens, who has since posted three consecutive All-Pro seasons. Not to mention the disastrous trade for a wide receiver, Chase Claypool.
Despite the awful season, last year did have some pleasant moments in the offseason with the Carolina Panthers trade paying off for Chicago. That landed him wide receiver D.J. Moore and the number one overall pick, which was quarterback Caleb Williams. The team also picked wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft as well.
The problem is that Poles have made good moves in the offseason over the last two years, but nothing has come out of it. Chicago wants to believe in him, but he has made enough bad moves to have everyone hesitant to trust him.
Read more: It's not even training camp and one Bears rookie is being overlooked in 2025
Poles has a chance to silence the critics with a big 2025 season. Bears fans hope he was worth the extension.