Chicago Bears finalize deal to make Ryan Poles new general manager

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Ryan Poles, the executive director of player personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs, has been hired as the next general manager of the Chicago Bears.

Poles was a finalist for three of the four general manager openings in the National Football League. He had an interview with the New York Giants, who later hired Buffalo Bills executive Joe Schoen. Poles decided to take the Bears job after interviewing with the Vikings.

Poles got to work Tuesday.

Jim Caldwell was interviewed for the head coach position. Sources told Ed Werder that former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts, Dan Quinn, will travel to Chicago for a second interview with Poles on Wednesday.

Poles was the executive director of player personnel for the first time. He helped the Kansas City pro personnel department prepare for free agency and assisted the GM with the NFL draft.

George H. McCaskey, chairman of the Bears, said in a statement that they are thrilled to be able to add someone of Ryan's background and football expertise to the organization. We are confident that under his leadership, we will be able to bring the Super Bowl to Chicago.

The decision came 15 days after McCaskey fired Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy. McCaskey said at the time that he wanted to hire a new general manager first and then include the new GM in the final discussions for a new coach. McCaskey revealed that he had hired Bill Polian, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, to help with his search.

Poles will report directly to McCaskey. Bears general managers have reported before.

Poles was an offensive tackle at Boston College, and the Bears signed him as a free agent in 2008.

Poles said that the Chicago Bears are one of the most prestigious clubs in all of sports. I am looking forward to working with my family to get this organization, its fans and the city what they deserve: a winning team and a Super Bowl trophy.

The Bears interviewed at least 13 candidates for the general manager job, including the Adofo- Menah, who is the favorite for the Vikings open job. They reported nine interviews for the head-coaching job, including Caldwell and Pederson.

During his time with the Bears, he hired two coaches and traded up to draft two quarterbacks, including last year's pick, Justin Fields. His teams did not win a game in the playoffs. The Bears haven't won a playoff game since 2010 and haven't made it to the playoffs since 2007.

The Bears did not have a first-round pick in the draft because they traded it to the Giants.