Ryan Poles takes partial blame for mismanaging Justin Fields in interview

Ryan Poles shows accountability in new media comments about Justin Fields

Justin Fields was never able to become the franchise quarterback everyone hoped he would become. Now that Fields has been traded away, Bears general manager Ryan Poles revealed why Fields didn’t work out.

In a discussion with Fox 32 Chicago, Ryan Poles was asked why Justin Fields didn’t work out. Poles’ response shows accountability and some regret at not doing more for Fields when he was hired as GM. Here is what Poles had to say:

“There’s a lot to unpack there. If you go through the whole deal, from the very beginning I think it was a choppy start, you know, rookie year. Then when I came in there was some cleaning up to do, which then delayed another year of adding talent and support. And then, just in terms of the game, I feel like he (Justin) was making strides and improving.

The problem is, and I try to explain this, that it wasn’t Justin versus one of these rookies, it’s the timeline. And how much runway that you have, because really, to get a guy up off the ground you need to support him with as much talent as possible.

And then that flips because they take so much cap space which is a good thing if you get to that point. But then they have to be the reason you start winning. Then it’s harder to add the talent around them. You can look around the league and it happens a lot. The teams that can sustain success through that period do a really special job.” – Bears GM Ryan Poles

The full video clip of Ryan Poles explanation can be seen below:

Ryan Poles was asked why didn’t Justin Fields work out in Chicago.
(Entire interview is available at Fox 32 Chicago’s YouTube Channel. Link below.) pic.twitter.com/euxmpycEXB

— Barroom Network – Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) March 25, 2024

The accountability comes when Ryan Poles discusses the clean up process. He explains that he had to work on fixing what the previous GM had got wrong. And unfortunately the clean up took longer than it should have. And the competitive window with Justin Fields closed.

Poles could have done more to help Fields, and he knows that. The video shows a man who understands everything abut this situation. It is tough to explain because the situation surrounding Justin Fields and the decisions that had to be made were not black and white.

For the first time in a long time, a Bears GM is looking at the bigger picture

This explanation of Ryan Poles should excite Bears fans. The Bears have been constantly held back by small thinking and decision makers thinking about the now. Poles is looking to a winning future and has a plan on how to get there.

Poles was very blunt in his explanation of why Justin Fields ended up not working out. He explained that the poor start put Justin behind the chains from day one. Which then led Poles to initiate a clean up process. By the time the clean up was finished, the timeline on Fields was less than favorable. The NFL is a fast moving business, continuing to wait for Fields to evolve into the franchise QB would have been a mistake.

As Ryan Poles said in his statement, the Justin Fields era got off to a bad start in Chicago. Then Poles had to come in and initiate a “clean up” process. Fixing the mismanagement from the previous regime. By the time that cleanup was finished, the damage had already been done. The timeline on Justin Fields had unfortunately moved on.

Competitive windows in the NFL are incredibly small. If your QB doesn’t become a championship level quarterback on his rookie deal, you have to move on from him. This is especially true if the team around him is looking like it is only a few pieces away from being a contender. That is the position the Bears are in right now.

The Bears are ready for a Quarterback

The Bears defense evolved into a top ten overall unit by the end of the 2023 season. If the defense can stay healthy, the Bears should boast a top five defense in 2024.

The Bears offense has a brand new coordinator and coaching staff to go along with. New arrivals like Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett and D’Andre Swift revamp the Bears offense. Depth pieces on the offensive line should also help the Bears offense improve significantly over last season.

The Chicago Bears have never been more ready to receive a rookie quarterback. Ryan Poles knows this and that is one of many reasons Justin Fields was traded.

Ryan poles is taking everything into account when it comes to being competitive. This is the best mindset fro a general manager to have, winning is on his mind. And so far, he has been doing a solid job. The roster looks much better heading into the 2024 season that it did at the same time last year.

Only time will tell if Poles made all the right choices. His transparency is a great sign for the future of Bears football.