Chicago Bears and GM Ryan Poles agree to five-year extension

As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Poles have agreed to a five-year extension. With the extension of their general manager, the Bears will now have both new head coach Ben Johnson and Poles under contract through the 2029 season, as assumed upon Johnson’s hiring in February.

In his three seasons as GM of the Bears, Poles has a record of 15-36 and had job security questions following last season. However, Poles was an integral piece in swaying Johnson to leave the Detroit Lions for the Windy City, who has been highly complimentary saying that he believed in his character and integrity and that the two “are going to be locked at the hip and connected every step of the way with all the decisions that are made.”

On paper, Poles has assembled quite an offensive arsenal for his franchise QB, Caleb Williams. Still, the team hasn’t been able to put it together on the field, with notable issues with protection. These issues were addressed in the offseason by bringing in Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson to protect Williams. With the addition of the offensive genius in Johnson, there is a natural optimism in Bears Nation who sat back and watched Johnson help revitalize the career of Lions QB Jared Goff and create one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL over the last three seasons. While former coach Matt Eberflus set the bar low for success in Chicago, Poles has a lot riding on Johnson being able to utilize all of his new weapons.

ESPN sources: the Bears and general manager Ryan Poles have reached agreement on a contract extension that ties him to Chicago for the next five years, through the 2029 season. Poles had two years remaining on his old deal, but now the Bears have him and new head coach Ben… pic.twitter.com/WEpVVAUYat

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 11, 2025