For the first time since the 2020 season, the Chicago Bears enter the second weekend in January thinking about something other than the NFL draft.
More News: Bears rule out 3 against Packers
The NFC North champion Bears will host the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round on Saturday night at Soldier Field.
In the meantime, general manager Ryan Poles appears to be making a crafty move to help Chicago add future draft capital.
Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Poles has been helping Matt Ryan with the hiring process in Atlanta. Ryan is expected to become the president of football for the Falcons, the team that drafted him with the No. 3 pick in the 2008 draft.
“It’s widely believed around the NFL that Matt Ryan will indeed become the Falcons’ new president of football,” Russini posted on X. “Ryan & Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles are very close friends, dating back to their playing days at BC. I’m told Poles has been helping Ryan on the entire hiring process.”
It’s widely believed around the NFL that Matt Ryan will indeed become the Falcons’ new president of football.
Ryan & Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles are very close friends, dating back to their playing days at BC. I’m told Poles has been helping Ryan on the entire hiring process.— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 9, 2026
Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles could add draft picks
More News: Former Bears GM Ryan Pace could become next Falcons GM
It’s not hard to connect the dots here. Poles and Ryan were teammates at Boston College from 2003 to 2007. Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham is a candidate for the Falcons general manager gig.
Per multiple reports, the Bears would receive two compensatory third-round picks if another league team hires Cunningham as a general manager.
The Bears have another connection to the Falcons GM search. Former Chicago general manager Ryan Pace serves as the vice president of football operations and player personnel for Atlanta. He’s been connected to the Falcons general manager job in recent days.
Pace took over the Bears’ general manager job in 2015. His Chicago teams went 48-65 overall and 0-2 in the postseason.
Pace was responsible for hiring John Fox as the Bears head coach in 2015. Pace traded up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers to draft quarterback Mitch Trubisky with the No. 2 pick in 2017. In 2021, Pace moved up nine spots to trade with the New York Giants for the right to draft Justin Fields with the No. 11 pick.
It’s possible the next Falcons general manager has ties to Chicago. With Cunningham, Poles could have an ally to trade with during the draft. The two extra draft picks would help the Bears continue to build a championship-caliber roster during the rookie contract of Caleb Williams.
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