Maybe the Chicago Bears retaining Ryan Poles as their general manager will not be the insurmountable hurdle in the franchise’s attempt to land Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson as the team’s next head coach that some make it out to be.
This nugget from CHGO’s Adam Hoge has my attention:
A transcription of Hoge’s words:
“Here’s a little bit of reporting on this. From what I’ve gathered so far from some conversations and taking in all the information. I do believe Ben Johnson is open to working with Ryan Poles. But they need to have those conversations, they need to have those interviews. That will be a huge thing, how they hit it off. And I don’t think he feels the same way about Trent Baalke in Jacksonville right now. So I do think that’s a good sign. And I do think if they do hit it off and they are aligned after the interview process, that you probably will see Ryan Poles get a contract extension.”
That is an interesting bit of reporting. And if it proves to be accurate, then perhaps the Bears truly have a chance to land the most coveted head-coaching candidate in this hiring cycle. We still have time to work through to get to that point, but I feel as if Ben Johnson’s willingness to work with Ryan Poles is an important hurdle to clear.
Yes, I realize that extending Ryan Poles is not going to be a popular decision if that is how the cookie crumbles. But if it means reeling in Ben Johnson, is the juice worth the squeeze?
Ben Johnson seeks alignment — can the Bears give it to him?
Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson has made it known (through multiple media reports) that he values alignment with the front office and ownership. And understandably so, I might add. So often, we see coaches go into unstable situations, get hailed as a franchise-saving hire upon arrival, and fall short of lofty expectations (in part) due to untenable situations. With that in mind, it is easy to understand why Johnson wants to leave interviews with teams wanting to check that particular box. Could he do that with the Bears?
© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesCHGO’s Adam Hoge sharing his belief that Ben Johnson is open to working with Bears GM Ryan Poles feels like an important step toward answering that question with a yes. But I wonder if the presence of Jeff King helps. Who is Jeff King? Follow along for a moment.
King is the Bears’ Senior Director of Player Personnel and has been with the team since 2015. A tight end who played with the Carolina Panthers (2006-10) and Arizona Cardinals (2011-13) has risen through the organizational ranks and has held the titles of scouting intern (2015), pro scout (2016-19), assistant director of pro scouting (2019-21), director of pro scouting (2021-22), co-director of player personnel (2022-24), and senior director of player personnel (2024-present).
I present that as a table setter because SI.com’s Albert Breer’s list of future general manager targets includes this King and a unique anecdote (bold emphasis mine):
The ex-NFL tight end is a first-timer on this list. After an eight-year career in the pros, he got into scouting. And over the last decade, and through different regimes, he steadily rose through the Bears’ ranks, to the point where now he’s the No. 3 behind Poles and Cunningham. Given Chicago’s record, that alone probably wouldn’t be enough to get him on the list, but he’s got a good connection with Lions OC Ben Johnson and could be a factor in how Johnson sees that opening.
On the surface, it is easy to see that line in bold above and see it as a throwaway. But this time of year, NFL insiders have throwaway lines that have value. At a minimum, it feels like a top Bears front office executive having a pre-existing relationship with a top head-coaching candidate like Ben Johnson is something we need to be aware of as we navigate through this process.
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