Patrick Surtain contract is more proof Ryan Poles is fleecing the league

Wednesday morning, Chicago Bears fans were still all up in their feels about the Hard Knocks finale which was released Tuesday night. The hype in regards to the 2024 Bears has reached even higher heights, somehow.

General manager Ryan Poles became as likable a human being there was during that episode, watching how he handled player cuts and the love he showed to some of the guys, in particular. Poles has truly done things his way, whether fans have approved or not. His way includes trying to make smart decisions for this team while doing everything out of love.

One of his recent decisions was to extend cornerback Jaylon Johnson over the offseason, and as of Thursday morning, that contract looks even better now.

Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II received a new deal, making him the highest-paid cornerback in league history at $24 million annually. Meanwhile, Johnson's deal ranks 10th among cornerbacks.

The hilarity of Johnson's value in his new deal continues to shine through, especially now. Given the fact that Jaylon Johnson's numbers were far superior to Surtain's last season, Poles looks like the king which Bears social media makes him out to be.

The Bears have arguably the top cornerback in the game, right now, and are paying him the 10th-highest annual average, contract-wise.

That's theft.

The D.J. Moore trade was a launchpad for Ryan Poles' vision

By now, we know just how bad last year's trade looks for the Carolina Panthers. Poles wound up trading the pick which landed Bryce Young in exchange for wide reciever D.J. Moore (who is now under contract for six more years in Chicago), quarterback Caleb Williams (a generational talent), an up-and-coming cornerback in Tyrique Stevenson, a first-round offensive tackle in Darnell Wright and a second rounder next year, which the Bears of course still look forward to using.

You could argue that the fact Chicago had two first-round picks in 2024 was another major reason Poles was completely fine with dealing a 2024 second rounder to Washington in exchange for Montez Sweat.

So, after all was said and done, throw Montez Sweat's name in the above analysis as well.

The Bears gave Moore his new contract in order to get ahead of things, and his deal pales in comparison to the other big wide receiver contracts handed out this year. Moore seemed to be fine with not asking for top dollar and even said, in the finale of Hard Knocks, that he'd love to retire in Chicago.

Chicago has been able to secure so much talent on a long-term basis under Poles, and Bears fans simply aren't used to it. They're used to the Ryan Pace, Jerry Angelo-type days.

Those days are long gone. Poles has his system. He has his ways. He sticks to his convictions and, more often than not, he has been proven right. Poles continues to operate in a way that will continually have the league wondering just how he's managing to do what he does.