Ryan Poles continues to prove why he's the best Chicago Bears GM in my lifetime

I am 40 years old. Many people name Jim Finks as the brains behind the star-studded roster the Chicago Bears threw together in the early 80s that led them to one of the greatest seasons in NFL history — the 1985 Bears. Finks was the general manager from 1974 to 1982 — one year before I was born. With him overseeing the Bears outside of my lifetime, it is already too easy for me to anoint Ryan Poles as the best general manager the Chicago Bears have had in my lifetime.

Whoa! I know what you might be thinking. How can you call a general manager who has overseen a team that has only won 10 of 24 games in the last two years the best GM in my 40 years of existence? Well, it's fairly simple for two reasons. First, the other general managers who preceded him quickly proved why they weren't the best for the job. Two, the attention to detail and the process behind every decision Poles makes is of sound judgment.

For those of you out there already screaming and ready to put your phone down rather than continue reading, just hear me out for a minute. Yes, I am even talking to all of the Justin Fields supporters and Caleb Williams haters out there. Don't forget, I am also a Fields supporter and I was ready to trade that first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft if Poles thought it was the best decision. I also thought it was a good time to move on from Fields if Poles thought it was the best decision. In Poles I trust.

We should all trust Ryan Poles to come ahead as Chicago Bears GM

Why is it that I trust Poles this much? Well, it goes back to before the Chicago Bears even hired him. When researching the candidates being considered for the job, Poles quickly became my favorite. Coming from a winning organization like the Kansas City Chiefs helps, but seeing him survive not only one, two, but three regimes meant he was doing a great job. If you want to read more about how I chose Poles over everyone else back in 2021, then this article is for you.

Essentially, Poles is proving me and others right with his cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor and down-to-earth personality. He is transparent when and with the people he needs to be while keeping a tight ship for the most part at Halas Hall. Some might point to his failure of trading a second-round pick to the Steelers for Chase Claypool and say, what are you talking about here, Rob? Well, as I've said over and over again, the process of that trade made sense at the time even if the result didn't pan out as anyone hoped. No general manager ever bats .1000.

Onto reason number one...