LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Poles have reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2029 season, a source informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.
Poles had two years left on the five-year deal he signed when he became Chicago’s general manager in 2022. Now, he is aligned with head coach Ben Johnson, whose contract also extends through the 2029 season.
ESPN was the first to report the Bears’ intention to extend Poles during the offseason of 2025 back in January.
At 39 years old, Poles has led a major rebuilding effort while guiding the Bears to earn the No. 1 overall pick following both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In March 2023, Chicago traded that top draft pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore and four additional draft picks.
Poles used these picks to select quarterback Caleb Williams, right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, wide receiver Luther Burden III, and punter Tory Taylor.
Since Poles took over, the Bears have recorded a record of 15-36 and fired former coach Matt Eberflus midway through the 2024 season, which ended with a disappointing 5-12 finish during Williams’ rookie year. In January, Poles conducted a thorough coaching search that included interviews with 17 candidates before hiring Johnson.
Since then, Chicago has made significant upgrades to their offensive line by trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signing center Drew Dalman in free agency.
Additionally, Poles has made considerable investments in their defensive line by acquiring tackles Grady Jarrett and Shemar Turner along with defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
In their first draft together, Poles and Johnson made history by selecting two pass-catching players with the Bears’ top two picks: tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 and Burden at No. 39.
“There’s a rhythm to all the chaos in what we do and how we do it,” Johnson said in April. “Ryan really is the mastermind behind it all. He organized everything, and you can see that this team has worked well together for several years because things are running so smoothly. He shows up consistently every day, which sometimes gets overlooked in this job. Consistency is very important, and he has done an excellent job each day of making a plan, putting that plan into action, and getting to know him better.”
