Bears’ Ryan Poles: ‘Pisses Me Off’ RG3 Said Caleb Williams Can’t Succeed in Chicago

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVMarch 26, 2024

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

It’s safe to say Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is not the biggest fan of Robert Griffin III, at least when it comes to advising quarterback prospect Caleb Williams.

“It pisses me off a little bit, to be honest with you, because we were hired to break a cycle,” Poles said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show when asked about Griffin’s comments regarding Williams and the Bears. “… I really believe we’re about to break this cycle and get this city in a really good situation and win a lot of games.”

Awful Announcing @awfulannouncingPat McAfee: “When RGIII comes out…”

Bears GM Ryan Poles: “Mm-hmm.”

McAfee: “You heard him?”

*Poles nods*

Poles: “It pisses me off a little bit, to be honest with you, because we were hired to break a cycle…”pic.twitter.com/2sWpZzLGcz https://t.co/CrMi7s14rL

As Vincent Parise of USA Today’s Bears Wire noted, Griffin previously suggested Williams should refuse to play for the Bears if they do end up taking him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

He highlighted the team’s futile history at quarterback and the situation Justin Fields, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, was put in when he was taken in the first round of the 2021 draft.

Still, the situation Williams would be walking into is much different than that of Fields and most No. 1 picks in NFL history.

Chicago went 5-3 in its final eight games of the 2023 campaign and added D’Andre Swift and Keenan Allen this offseason. Williams will be surrounded by plenty of playmakers in Swift, Allen, DJ Moore, Cole Kmet and perhaps someone the front office takes with the No. 9 overall pick as well as a young offensive line with multiple cornerstones.

Throw in a defense that finished last season with plenty of momentum, and the Bears could be playoff contenders if Williams is even decent as a rookie.

It is also a far cry from Fields’ situation during his first two years when Chicago fired its head coach, surrounded him with few viable weapons and largely tore down the roster around him with an eye on the future.