By Sunday 
A Head Start for Detroit?
The NFC North isn’t for the faint of heart these days. With all four teams setting their sights on the postseason and every divisional matchup feeling like a street fight, you’d think the last thing a team would do before training camp is slow its own momentum.
But hey, that’s exactly what just happened in Chicago.
The Detroit Lions—riding the high of back-to-back NFC North crowns and primed for a third—just watched their closest rival, the Chicago Bears, fumble before the ball is even snapped this season.
How, you ask? One word: Poles.
Bears Bet Big on Poles, But Why Now?
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news that the Bears extended General Manager Ryan Poles through the 2029 season. Yes, five more years. And yes, while he still had two full seasons left on his original deal.
On paper, that might not sound like a disaster. After all, Poles has made a few headline-grabbing moves: trading the first overall pick in 2023 for a king’s ransom, drafting Caleb Williams, and bringing in former Lions OC Ben Johnson as head coach.
But here’s the thing: the wins just haven’t shown up. Poles’ Bears are 15-36 over the last three seasons. That’s not a typo. That’s also not a resume that typically earns a five-year extension.
Flashy Moves, Flimsy Results
Trading down from the No. 1 pick? Good move.
Drafting Caleb Williams? Smart bet.
Hiring Matt Eberflus and sitting through two years of lifeless football? Not so great.
What makes this move more puzzling is the timing. Extending Poles now—before seeing how this new regime with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams plays out—feels more like a PR win than a strategic one. And PR wins don’t hang banners.
Let’s be honest: a lot of Poles’ perceived success rides on the Panthers being bad and the Bears benefiting from their dysfunction. That’s hardly a sustainable long-term strategy.
Meanwhile in Detroit…
As the Bears cling to what-ifs and contract extensions, the Lions are doing what good teams do: staying focused and letting results speak.
Detroit’s leadership, led by Dan Campbell, has built a culture of grit and consistency. They didn’t need flashy GM deals or off-field hype to dominate the North last season—and they’re not changing that formula anytime soon.
If anything, watching Chicago fumble another offseason should light an even brighter fire in Detroit’s locker room.
Final Whistle
The Bears might have something brewing with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. But tying their future so tightly to a GM whose best skill might be looking better than the Panthers? That’s a gamble that could blow up before this rebuild ever gets off the ground.
Meanwhile, Detroit? They’re just watching… and smiling.