LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Poles have agreed to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2029 season, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.
Poles had two years remaining on the five-year contract he signed upon becoming Chicago’s general manager in 2022. He is now aligned with head coach Ben Johnson, whose contract runs through the 2029 season.
ESPN first reported the Bears’ plan to extend Poles during the 2025 offseason in January.
Poles, 39, oversaw a substantial rebuild that coincided with the Bears earning the No. 1 pick after the 2022 and 2023 seasons, respectively. Chicago traded the draft’s top pick to the Carolina Panthers in March 2023 for wide receiver DJ Moore and four draft picks, which Poles used to draft quarterback Caleb Williams, right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, wide receiver Luther Burden III and punter Tory Taylor.
The Bears have gone 15-36 since Poles was hired and saw former coach Matt Eberflus fired midway through the 2024 season, which ended with a 5-12 finish during Williams’ rookie year. Poles led an extensive coaching search in January that saw the Bears interview 17 candidates before landing on Johnson.
Since then, Chicago has made significant investments in the offensive line via trades for guards Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and signing center Drew Dalman in free agency. Poles also invested heavily in the defensive trenches with tackles Grady Jarrett, Shemar Turner and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
Poles and Johnson’s first draft together saw the Bears draft two pass-catching weapons with the team’s top two draft picks (tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 and Burden at No. 39) for the first time in franchise history.
“There’s a rhythm to all the madness behind what we do and how we do it,” Johnson said in April. “And Ryan really is all the brains behind that. He set it all up and you can tell that this group, this organization has been together for a number of years now because it’s been running so smoothly. He’s consistent every single day when he comes in. I think that sometimes is under looked at times, particularly in this profession. Consistency is a huge deal and he’s just done a great job every single day laying out a plan, executing a plan and just getting to know him more.”
