Ryan Poles Had the Best Quote From Draft Night

I’ma let Jim Harbaugh finish, but Ryan Poles had the best quote from Night 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles was beaming last night.

Could you blame him?

Poles just pulled off the ideal scenario for a Bears draft day. In addition to reeling in USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears also drafted Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze. And he did both moves without sacrificing future draft capital or sending an active player away in a trade to do so. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Pulling this off reminds me of the type of heist you would see in an Ocean’s movie starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, and friends. I still can’t believe it happened and I watched it live. Every few hours I’ll pinch myself to make sure this is still real.

With Poles walking on clouds, you figured he’d drop some bars during his post-draft press conference. He didn’t disappoint. And there is one quote that stands out above the rest:

“The history is the history. I’m kind of done talking about it. You go back so much all the time, and those days are over. So, we’re bringing players in here that want to really just change everything up and do things a different way. Obviously, we love our history here, but it has hasn’t been smooth recently. It’s time to change. I feel like we got to stop going back all the time.”

Don’t get me wrong. Jim Harbaugh dropped a banger saying “we look at offensive linemen as weapons” after taking Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt with the No. 5 pick. But what Ryan Poles had to say after his Night 1 experience at the NFL Draft is a cut above.

Put it on a t-shirt. All of it. I don’t care how you have to adjust the print size. Front. Back. It doesn’t matter to me. Too many words? Fine. You win. I guess it isn’t the best idea to try and squeeze 74 words and 385 characters on a t-shirt. How about this: “It’s time to change.” Throw that on a shirt. Put it on a billboard. Shout it from the top of Sears Tower. Make it an ad campaign. it’s time to change. It is just four words. But they could have so much meaning moving forward.

It’s time to change.

I love how Ryan Poles frames this as part of the Bears conversation. It is perfect. Be cognizant of your history and proud of your past. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging the franchise’s good times from a bygone era. However, don’t let yourself be defined by it. Don’t let it hold you back. And don’t allow it to keep you from evolving.

Former Bears tight end Martellus Bennett eviscerated Bears ownership after that soul-crushing Lions loss last year and underscored how the franchise’s inability to let go of the past was holding it back. But here we have Ryan Poles doing his best to break off the anchors of the past as he tries to build a better future. That seems to be a common theme from Poles. Let’s re-visit what he said to Pat McAfee in March about Robert Griffin III’s comments suggesting Caleb Williams pull an Eli Manning and decline to go to Chicago:

“It pisses me off a little bit, to be honest with you because we were hired to break the cycle. The same thing when I was in Kansas City. Coach Reid, all of us were brought there to break a cycle and we did. 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. The past is the past. I don’t worry about that at all. It’s about where we’re going.”

The past is the past. There is no good that can come from dwelling on it. Moving forward, it should be all about where the Bears are going. And while greener pastures aren’t guaranteed, I’m willing to go along for the ride with someone who isn’t beholden to the past because they feel it is an obligation.

More Ryan Poles quotes and anecdotes from Thursday’s press conference

Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham found a unique way to earn his extension.

“I was nervous that he wasn’t going to be there at 9,” Poles said about Rome Odunze. “Our simulations, it was about a 50/50 shot if he was going to be there. But as it started to unfold, Ian had to hold me back from not trying to trade up and do something crazy to get him. But it ended up working out really well.”

Crazy risks is what makes life worth living and NFL Draft weekend worth watching. Even still … shout out to Ian Cunningham for his efforts in keeping Ryan Poles from doing something outlandish that he might regret. This is what happens when you build a core group of co-workers who aren’t yes-men.

Ryan Poles on not worrying about the pressure that comes with being Chicago’s QB1 getting to Caleb Williams: “He’s highly competitive and he wants to be great, and he has passion for the game. If you have those, you’re going to be in whatever environment that you’re in.” Those words reminded me of what former Cubs manager Joe Maddon used to say about not letting the pressure exceed the pleasure.

Poles said he briefly considered moving back into the first round, but thought better of it because of the 2024 and 2025 draft capital the Bears would have to give up. But Poles added the team could “potentially” trade into the second round. However, I wouldn’t bet on it. “We’ll see what the numbers look like and just kind of gauge if that’s something we need to do.”

For more from the Chicago Bears general manager, you can watch the video below: