The Chicago Bears have a potential treasure trove of boxing riches sitting at their feet. Actually, it’s almost a GUARANTEED treasure trove.
Blessed with the overall no. 1 pick in this April’s NFL draft, they will have the opportunity to select USC Heisman award-winning blue chip quarterback prospect Caleb Williams. They could also draft any number of elite prospects with that top pick. There’s also the possibility of trading away that no. 1 for a historical haul of talent.
Then there’s the Bears starting QB Justin Fields, who is increasingly looking like trade fodder for additional draft picks.
The Chicago Bears’ “Can’t Lose” is Ryan Poles’ “MUST not Lose”
Chicago finds itself in almost a “can’t lose” situation coming into this year’s draft. There looks to be a concrete path to success no matter what decision the team makes. This “can’t lose” is why general manager Ryan Poles may find himself in a “MUST not lose” situation.
Last year, Poles looked like a genius pulling off his pre-draft trade with the Carolina Panthers. In that deal, the Bears sent their overall no. 1 pick to Carolina, picking up the Panthers’ first-and second-round picks (Nos. 9 and 61) in the draft, a 2024 no. 1 pick (which resulted in them having overall no. 1 again this year), a second-round pick in 2025, and veteran wide receiver DJ Moore. Thus far, the trade has resulted in the addition of offensive tackle Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, as well as Moore and whoever the team decides to pick in this year’s draft.
If Chicago trades away their top pick again this year, they’re expected to receive an even bigger return. If they keep their pick, however, they’ll have first dibs on Williams, who has already drawn comparisons to legendary quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
If Poles can’t walk away from this draft as a winner, as someone who has built the Bears into a franchise on the cusp of being an elite playoff contender for years to come, people will begin to throw some serious shade on him, despite only having two full years on the job. People will begin to wonder how such an embarrassment of riches placed at the team’s feet could result in so little. They’ll move beyond questioning Poles and into straight-up doubting him.
Under Pressure, Succeed or Else
So, yeah, there’ll be a lot of pressure on Poles to get this draft right. And, for some, that “right” absolutely has to involve the team drafting Caleb Williams.
Some high-profile names are talking about Poles losing his job if he doesn’t draft the USC star.
Veteran NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason recently went on record with that bold assessment.
“It’s over. They’re taking this kid right here,” Esiason said about Williams during a segment on the Boomer & Gio show on WFAN. “If they don’t take this kid, then Ryan Poles should be fired. I mean, you gotta restart the quarterback clock. You got all the assets from the trades that you’ve made. You’re sitting pretty. You kept your head coach. You got a new offensive coordinator (Shane Waldron) in there.”
Syncing up with that same line of thought is Brenden Rice, son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and wide receiver teammate of Williams at USC,
“If you can risk [not picking him] and picking apart his game and letting him fall, have fun losing your job, man,” Rice told the Chicago Sun-Times back at the Senior Bowl. “Honestly, have fun. I’m proud of my quarterback.
“I love him as a teammate; that dude’s a leader,” Rice added. “I had some dark days out on that field my junior year. I had a lot of drops and a lot of inconsistency. And he knew how to bring the best out of me.”
By all accounts, Poles has the full support of Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren. But could that support crumble if Poles can’t turn these golden opportunities into championship gold?