Bears Insider Reveals If Ryan Poles Is Scaring Away Top Coaches

Most Chicago Bears fans share the same opinion. They want GM Ryan Poles gone. Over the past three years, there has been no indication that he has this franchise pointed in the right direction. His first head coach choice was a disaster, and several of his most notable moves, like Chase Claypool and Nate Davis, were flops. Now, he enters the off-season with only one year left on his contract. Even if the Bears were to extend him, many believe top coaching candidates will shy away from working with him.

Especially those who will probably have options like Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel. The last thing this organization needs is being handcuffed at the very beginning and forced to pick from a shallower pool of options. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was asked if Poles’ presence was already scaring guys away. He made it clear that is not the case. Coaches are still likely to take interviews from the Bears. It will come down to whether Poles, presuming he keeps his job, can sell them that he has learned from his mistakes.

It is still a considerable risk.

I don’t believe Poles remaining the general manager would turn off any candidates from interviewing with the Bears. Maybe I’m wrong. We’re only guessing until we know how many job openings there will be leaguewide and what those other spots offer…

…Smart candidates will have just as many questions for Poles, Warren and the Bears as the team will have for the candidates. All parties are seeking the same thing, and that’s a feeling that the vision is shared and aligned. The interviews will be the key here. Will Poles hit it off with every coach the Bears interview? Maybe not. Some will go better than others. But I don’t see his remaining the GM as being an obstacle to the Bears lining up meetings with desired candidates.

Ryan Poles better have a strong pitch prepared.

The McCaskeys don’t seem anxious to move on from him. They feel he’s young and growing into the job. Ryan Pace had the same exact record in his first three years on the job. He got an extension anyway. The Bears won the division the next season. Of course, it eventually became clear he hadn’t found the head coach or quarterback the organization needed. It appears Poles at least got the latter right with Caleb Williams. Perhaps there is confidence that with Kevin Warren’s connections, they will have a far more effective search for a head coach. That is the hope, anyway. The first domino will fall after the regular season ends on Sunday. If Ryan Poles doesn’t receive a contract extension by next Monday, it could signal that a change is coming.