Ryan Poles on rumors that Caleb Williams doesn't want to play for Bears |
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles talked to the media Tuesday at the beginning of the 2024 NFL Combine.
One of the reporters on site asked him if he was concerned about the rumors that talented USC quarterback Caleb Williams doesn't want to play for Chicago if he is picked No. 1 overall. “No, no, no concerns about that at all,” Poles said. “I would love to know why if that was the case. Like I said, I think when you have a young quarterback, I’ve been around it, the infrastructure is important, and I think we’ve made really good process in terms of having a really good infrastructure for whoever were to come in or if Justin (Fields) were to stay here.” The rumor was started by FS1 host Colin Cowherd, saying that the Williams' camp didn't want him drafted by the Bears, but since then, he has backtracked on his initial comments. Poles said that his phone has been ringing constantly since he arrived in Indianapolis as NFL people try to figure out what the Bears are going to do with that first pick of the draft. “This is an opportunity for us to continue to gather information, learn about the different players in the draft, listen to what opportunities could come up and then at the end of the day, we're going to make the best decision that we can for the Chicago Bears,” Poles said. “It will not be based on fear of what could happen with this and what could happen with that. We're going to put our information together and make the best decision because at the end of the day, we'll always throw our decision-making against our core deal, which is win championships and sustain success for a long period of time. There’s a lot that goes into that, but we're excited to gather the information and create clarity as we go along.”
