Poles unconcerned about Caleb's desire to play for Bears
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles isn't worried about Caleb Williams pulling an Eli Manning.
Poles shrugged off the notion that Williams doesn't want to play for the Bears, who own the No. 1 pick, during his press conference Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"No concerns about that at all," said Poles. "I would love to know why if that was the case. ... I think, as a young quarterback - and I've been around it - infrastructure is important.
"And I think we've made really good progress in terms of having (a) really good infrastructure for whoever were to come in or if Justin (Fields) were to stay here."
Manning infamously refused to play for the then-San Diego Chargers - who held the No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft - and forced a move to the New York Giants.
Poles said he's still in the process of deciding what to do with the top overall selection and current quarterback Fields.
"Contrary to reports out there, I have no master plan to present everyone today," he said. "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 ... make the best decision that we can for the Chicago Bears."
Poles said if the Bears do ultimately draft a quarterback and trade Fields, they'd want to "do right" by him and be transparent with the process.
Chicago would reportedly demand a historic offer to trade the No. 1 pick. Williams is widely viewed as the top quarterback in the class and one of the best prospects of the last decade.
#Bears GM Ryan Poles says he hasn’t had any “big-time conversations” with teams about possibly trading out of No. 1 but a lot of clubs have checked in to take the “temperature.” Says it would have to “help our organization significantly” to trade out.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 27, 2024
The former USC star and Heisman Trophy winner reportedly isn't expected to throw at the combine.