ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports that general manager Ryan Poles will have his contract extended to match head coach Ben Johnson’s five-year deal.
A recent article by ESPN’s Courtney Cronin shed some light on the contract status of new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles.
She writes that Johnson’s contract is for five years at $13 million per season ($65M total), and according to an October 2024 article from Sportico, that would likely rank Johnson in the top ten among NFL coaches. Considering the article is four months old, I can’t assume no other coaching contracts have been done to eclipse those on the list, but based on that article, Johnson’s $13 million per season would have ranked him seventh behind San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan’s $14M.
Cronin reported that Matt Eberflus’ deal was for $6 million a season, so the Bears did what it took to sign the most sought-after head coach candidate on the market.
As one source put it, the Bears “didn’t cut corners” when it came to paying Johnson.
As for Poles’ contract, Cronin reports that his current deal runs through the 2026 season, but the “expectation is he will receive an extension to align him with Johnson.”
She also wrote that “a team source told ESPN that Johnson never requested a change at general manager.”
“I truly believe in the character and integrity of this man,” Johnson said of Poles. “… We are going to be locked at the hip and connected every step of the way with all the decisions that are made.”
What are your thoughts on Poles being extended through the 2029 season to align with Johnson?