The situation with the Chicago Bears’ power structure is becoming more and more fluid by the day. That shouldn’t be a surprise, given the team’s state. They are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, one away from the second-most in franchise history. If they reach that mark, GM Ryan Poles will have crafted a team that holds the #1 and #2 longest losing streaks in team history (they had 14 straight losses between 2022 and 2023). This is why they fired head coach Matt Eberflus midseason. Expectations were that Poles would be retained and allowed to hire the next coach. However, that possibility is dimming with each passing day.
Marc Silverman revealed on Waddle & Silvy that there is a lot of internal frustration at Halas Hall. Some of it is directed at Poles. He obviously chose the previous coach and has built a roster that hasn’t made any tangible progress toward becoming a proven winner. However, Poles apparently isn’t happy either. When he arrived in 2022, he took the job believing he’d have a direct line to ownership. That changed almost immediately once team president Kevin Warren was hired. Poles now feels marginalized. For this reason, Silverman believes it’s possible the GM may look to leave after the season.
A Ryan Poles exit isn’t hard to imagine anymore.
How much of this is accurate remains unknown. SearSTower, a Twitter profile that has presented lots of accurate information on the Bears’ inner workings over the past few weeks, claims this rumor is false. Even so, the warning signs are there that something is off. Poles looked defeated at his most recent press conference. Signs are growing that Warren is seizing control of things behind closed doors. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that the president will be in charge of the upcoming head coaching search.
Last but not least, it was revealed that Ryan Poles signed a four-year contract in 2022. That means 2025 would be his last season. So unless the Bears plan to give him an extension, which still hasn’t happened, this idea that he may choose to leave is hardly outlandish. It allows him to get out of a situation in which he isn’t happy while the Bears would be free to align both the head coach and GM for the first time in almost a decade. The final four games may determine how this plays out.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.