Ryan Poles officially hired as Chicago Bears general manager
CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears announced Tuesday night they have officially hired Ryan Poles as the club's next general manager.
Poles, 36, was serving as the Kansas City Chief's executive director of player personnel.
The Bears initially interviewed him for the position on Friday.
"We are thrilled to be able to add someone of Ryan’s background and football expertise to our organization," Bears chairman George McCaskey said in a statement. "His accomplishments with the Chiefs speak for themselves and amplified the team’s standing as one of the premier franchises in professional sports. We are confident that under his leadership, we will reach our goal of bringing a Super Bowl championship to Chicago."
Poles was spotted with McCaskey at O'Hare Airport Tuesday morning in a social media post, leading to speculation that the two parties were close to an agreement.
Poles has spent 13 seasons in the Chiefs’ front office, the past year in his current role under general manager Brett Veach. He was the team’s director of college scouting in 2017 when Kansas City drafted Patrick Mahomes with the No. 10 overall pick — after Chicago took Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2.
"I am extremely grateful to George, the McCaskey family and the rest of the Bears organization for this opportunity," Poles said in a statement. "The Chicago Bears are one of the flagship franchises in the National Football League and are recognized as one of the most prestigious clubs in all of sports. It’s an honor for me to join such a well-regarded organization. Together with my family, I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running to help get this organization, its fanbase and the city what they deserve: a winning team and a Super Bowl trophy."
Poles replaces Ryan Pace, who was fired along with head coach Matt Nagy after a 6-11 season.
The Bears went 48-65 during Pace's seven-year tenure.
Pace’s reign was marred by his inability to settle the quarterback position. He whiffed when he traded up a spot to draft Trubisky over Mahomes. He also signed Mike Glennon, traded for Nick Foles and paid up for Andy Dalton. And rookie Justin Fields’ future is an ongoing question.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.