Getty Bears Chariman George McCaskey made Lamar "Soup" Campbell part of the selection committee that chose Ryan Poles as GM.
The Chicago Bears have made their choice in their search for a new general manager, hiring Kansas City Chiefs Assistant Director of player personnel Ryan Poles, according to a Jan. 25 report courtesy of NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Chiefs’ Assistant Director of Player Personnel Ryan Poles as their next general manager, per league sources.
Other finalists for Chicago’s GM job were Tennessee Titans Director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort, New England Patriots scouting consultant Eliot Wolf and Indianapolis Colts Director of college scouting Morocco Brown.
Poles, 36, began his career as an NFL executive in 2009, serving as a player personnel assistant with the Chiefs. He has spent his entire career in Kansas City, working his way up to Executive Director of Player Personnel, the title he held up until the Bears chose him to be their next GM.
He’s on the younger side, but Poles has a strong history, winning a Super Bowl in Kansas City with the team he had a huge hand in assembling. Now, the Bears and Poles will set out to hire Chicago’s next head coach.
“It’s communication, it’s being on the same page with the coaching staff,” Poles said about his success with the Chiefs, via Talkin’ Giants. “I truly believe when your coaching staff and your personnel are walking together and making decisions together, they can have in-depth discussions and identify what they want not only for a position group, but for the culture that (your head coach) wants, I think you’re on the right path. And I think you can do damage in terms of acquiring players that represent what you want to be as an organization.”
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Ryan Poles: Resumé & Experience
Poles has spent the last 13 years in Kansas City, where he worked with some of the best and most successful football minds of the previous two decades, including John Dorsey (a two-time Super Bowl-winning exec with the Green Bay Packers), Scott Pioli (a three-time Super Bowl-winning executive with the New England Patriots) and Brett Veach (Kansas City’s current Super Bowl-winning general manager).
A former player, Poles played college ball at Boston College and was actually signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He never saw the field, but the connection is notable.
Here’s a look at his NFL experience leading up to his hire as the new Bears GM:
- Executive director of player personnel, Kansas City Chiefs (2021-Present)
- Assistant director of player personnel, Kansas City Chiefs (2018-20)
- Director of college scouting, Kansas City Chiefs (2017)
- College scouting administrator, Kansas City Chiefs (2013-2016)
- College scouting administrator, Kansas City Chiefs (2010-12)
- Player personnel assistant, Kansas City Chiefs (2009)
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Next Up, Finding a Head Coach
Poles’ first order of business as Chicago’s new GM will be to find the team’s next leader. The Bears currently have three finalists for their head coach position, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network: Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and ex-Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell. Eberflus is set to interview Wednesday, Jan. 26.
According to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, Poles will interview Quinn, Eberflus and Caldwell by the end of the day on Jan. 26, and he may expand the list of candidates to interview:
Confirmed: Ryan Poles will conduct interviews with Caldwell, Quinn and Eberflus by end of day Wednesday. (Unsure if he’ll expand list.)
The dominoes are now falling for the Bears, and the team should have its new head coach on board soon.
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Bears Make Final Decision, Hire New GM: Report