Ryan Poles Irked By Robert Griffin III’s Comments on Caleb Williams

The Bears general manager wants to build something in Chicago with the top pick.

The Chicago Bears are on the clock and it seems they’ve made their decision. Despite the constant movement of NFL mock drafts, USC prospect and potential franchise quarterback Caleb Williams remains the consensus top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He’s exactly what the Bears need. Which is why general manager Ryan Poles is so annoyed with anyone saying Williams should “pull an Eli Manning” and refuse to play in Chicago.

FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd first floated the idea Williams didn’t want to play in Chicago before the Super Bowl, but that was debunked in an ESPN interview a few weeks later. Since then, it’s seemed like a certainty the Bears would draft him. But people have still spoken up suggesting Williams be the one to make the decision and force his way elsewhere. Robert Griffin III pointed to the way Chicago had handled Justin Fields’ development as proof that Williams could not trust the Bears.

Poles was asked about people saying Williams should say no to his franchise during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. His response follows:

“It pisses me off a little bit to be honest with you because we were hired to break a cycle. The same thing when I was in Kansas City. Coach Reid, all of us where brought there to break a cycle. And we did. And no one talks about those days anymore. It’s all about what they are right now. I really believe we are about to break that cycle and get this city in a really good situation and win a lot of games. So the past is the past. I don’t worry about that all. It’s all about where we’re going.”

Poles joined the Kansas City Chiefs as a scouting assistant in 2009 while Andy Reid was still coaching the Philadelphia Eagles. He was the assistant director of player personnel by the time the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV. He left to become the general manager of the Bears ahead of the 2022 season.

The comments about Williams pulling an Eli Manning are confusing because the Bears appear to be on the right track. Coming off a 7-10 season they’re one of the better teams to ever hold the top pick in the draft. Chicago is also one of the biggest markets in the country. And as Griffin himself noted, the Bears have some good offensive weapons for Williams to work with. If the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner is as good as they think he is, no one will be discussing Fields’ lack of development in Chicago.

There’s no real reason for a good player to want to avoid the Bears. Most people know that. Ryan Poles knows that. And Caleb Williams can prove that.

Stephen Douglas is a staff writer at The Big Lead.