Ryan Poles Admits Multiple Free Agents Joined The Bears Just To Play For Ben Johnson
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles knew the daunting task ahead of him when he took the job. The roster was aging and expensive. They had no quarterback and no clear path to the Super Bowl. If he realistically wanted to get them to a place where they could compete for a title, they would have to start over. Poles made the tough decision to gut the roster, trading away or cutting every high-priced veteran and collecting as much draft capital as possible. From there, it was about building for the future.
There was a major problem throughout the process that he quickly learned. Players didn’t want to come here. Many times, he would call free agents, and they weren’t interested in joining the Bears. That came from their reputation as a losing organization surrounded by dysfunction. Often, the only way Poles could bring them in was through added financial incentives.
Everything changed this past month. Suddenly, he was getting much more favorable reception from potential options on the market. It didn’t take long to figure out why. They wanted to play for Ben Johnson. Poles explained the jarring shift in perception to The Bigs.
This is uncharted territory for Ryan Poles.
He saw what it could be like first-hand in Kansas City. The draw of head coach Andy Reid was obvious. He’d been successful for well over a decade by that point. Players knew he could make them better and give them a chance to win. Who was the last Bears head coach to have that kind of pull? Did any of them? Free agency wasn’t instituted until 1994. Dave Wannstedt, Dick Jauron, Marc Trestman, John Fox, and Matt Nagy certainly didn’t have that kind of reputation. The only one who may have come close was Lovie Smith, but he didn’t have the same aura Johnson seems to.
What he accomplished last year was nothing short of remarkable. He took a team that had been 5-12 the previous year, made some roster tweaks, and led them to an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North and a playoff game. Chicago became the must-watch story of the season, looking like a team that worked hard, played hard, and had fun along the way. Johnson’s shirtless celebration after taking down Philadelphia was a perfect encapsulation of the experience.
Poles likely can’t wait for when he has real money to spend.
What you saw last month was hopefully a taste of things to come. Landing Coby Bryant and Devin Bush at their respective prices felt like big wins for the Bears. Both had strong markets for their services. Next year, the team will be able to remove some of their big contracts from the books. That should open the door for Ryan Poles to take a big swing at somebody the team may have felt they had no shot at in previous years. Until then, we’re getting a preview of what having a draw for a head coach is like.
This is probably what Los Angeles feels with Sean McVay, and what San Francisco feels with Kyle Shanahan. Many prominent free agents want to play for winners. Johnson proved he can be that type of guy as well last season. If he can duplicate it in 2026, becoming the first Bears coach in 20 years with back-to-back winning records, you’ll see some surprising moves come next spring. No doubt Poles is eager for that day to come.