The Chicago Bears are expected to hire Kansas City Chiefs front office executive Ryan Poles to be their next general manager.
According to a new report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are in the process of finalizing a deal to hire Poles. A finalist in multiple general manager searches, Chicago had good reason to get a deal done with Poles as soon as possible. He was scheduled to meet with their NFC North opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, on Wednesday. Locking him up now ensures that the Vikings won’t get a chance to make him a better offer.
Poles, 36, has been working in the Chiefs’ front office for over a decade. He began as a scouting assistant under Scott Pioli. He worked his way up to Director of College Scouting under John Dorsey and most recently filled the role of Executive Director of Player Personnel under Brett Veach. His ability to identify quality players in the draft and free agency has helped this team assemble its championship foundation.
Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Chiefs’ Assistant Director of Player Personnel Ryan Poles as their next general manager, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2022
Under the NFL’s new rules for developing minority coaching and front office candidates, the Chiefs will receive draft pick compensation for Poles’ departure. They’ll receive a third-round compensatory pick in both the upcoming 2022 NFL draft and the 2023 NFL draft, which Kansas City will host. The Chiefs could be subject to an additional third-round draft pick if Eric Bieniemy goes on to become a head coach this offseason as well.
