Bears general manager Ryan Poles wasn’t happy with Robert Griffin III’s recent comments, which questioned Chicago’s intentions if they select former USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
During a Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Poles explained that Griffin’s remarks upset him because the GM is determined to create a brand new culture in Chicago.
Earlier this month, Griffin — a former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst — posted a video on social media explaining why Williams, the consensus No. 1 draft pick, should “pull an Eli Manning” and tell the Bears he won’t play for them if they use the top pick in the draft on him, especially after Chicago traded quarterback Justin Fields to Steelers for just a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick.
“It pisses me off a little bit, to be honest with you, because we were hired to break a cycle,” the 36-year-old Poles told McAfee. “The same thing when I was in Kansas City, Coach [Andy] Reid, all of us were brought there to change a cycle and we did — and no one talks about those days anymore. It’s all about what they are right now.
“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. So the past is the past. I don’t worry about that at all. It’s about where we’re going.”
Griffin said he thought Poles was “having an amazing off-season” — up until the Fields trade.
“After everything that has happened with Justin Fields, can Caleb Williams really look at that and say, ‘This is an organization that has my best interest in mind, they’re going to develop me into the player that I want to become?’” Griffin asked.
“Can Caleb Williams really look at that and say, you know what this organization is going to help get me where I want to go.’ I don’t think it’s saying that.”
Griffin thinks Williams should take a page out of Manning’s book, and he pointed out that the former Giants quarterback won two titles with New York after informing the Chargers, who owned the top pick in the 2004 draft, that he did not want to play for them.
Fields spent his first three NFL seasons with the Bears, taking over as the starter in Week 2 of his rookie season after veteran Andy Dalton got hurt.
In 2023, Fields completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 2,562 yards with 16 TDs, nine interceptions and an 86.3 passer rating. He also rushed for 657 yards and four TDs on 124 carries.
He will back up Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh after the veteran signal-caller signed a one-year deal with the Steelers after a disastrous two seasons in Denver.
In 2023, Williams threw for 3,633 yards with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions for the Trojans, adding 11 rushing touchdowns.
The Bears are in prime position to fix their quarterback problem at the draft, which will take place in Detroit from April 25-27.
Poles, who previously spent 13 seasons working his way up the ladder with the Chiefs, and Bears brass attended USC’s Pro Day last Wednesday, followed by Michigan’s Pro Day on Friday.
Poles said the team plans on attending LSU’s Pro Day this Wednesday and North Carolina’s Pro Day Thursday.
“Just continue to put all the information together,” Poles said of the Bears’ offseason plans. “Every day I feel like we get more and more clarity as we move forward. So we’re excited about where we’re going and everything looks promising.”
The Bears finished last season with a 7-10 record in the last spot in the NFC North.
