Bears Insider Reveals Why Ryan Poles Didn't Go After Micah Parsons

The Green Bay Packers shocked the football world, concluding a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys for superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons. Chicago Bears fans couldn't understand. If any team in the NFC North had a glaring need for pass rush help, it was theirs. Austin Booker just went on IR. Dayo Odeyingbo already looks like a questionable investment. Adding Parsons across from Montez Sweat would've been a game-changer. Instead, they must watch him chase Caleb Williams twice a year for the foreseeable future. Accusations are being hurled at GM Ryan Poles for not being more aggressive.

Sports Mockery insider Jeff Hughes answered that question hours after the deal went down. He basically stated that Poles had discussed the idea with head coach Ben Johnson, who turned it down. The two seem to believe this team is not one player away from contending for a championship.

They aren't wrong. As improved as the Bears look, they still have glaring holes at key spots on the roster. Edge rusher is one. Left tackle and running back are two others. They also have serious concerns about safety beyond this season, as both Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard are free agents. The fact that Ben Johnson sees it tells you he has eyes on the big picture.

It also tells you how much sway he has in the roster-building decisions.

Ryan Poles must retain his draft picks to keep building.

In truth, people should've seen this coming. Poles stated when he took over in 2022 that blockbuster trades like this are fun and can provide a great short-term boost. However, they tend to have lingering consequences in the long term. He repeated that message when asked about it earlier this week.

“There’s more levels to just grabbing the talent and bring it in. There’s some impact things that happen in your locker room and on the field and your salary-cap that, yeah, he could give you a little burst of energy, but long term, does it make sense for you or is it going to be a derailer down the road when you’re trying to sustain?”

It's a fair point. The Bears have conducted two blockbuster trades similar to Parsons in the past 16 years. They swung a massive deal for Jay Cutler in 2009 and again for Khalil Mack in 2012. In both cases, the moves provided immediate jolts. Chicago reached the NFC championship in 2010 and won the division in 2018. However, as Ryan Poles said, there were consequences.

The Bears began fading in 2011. Injuries mounted, and key players got older. Things bottomed out in 2014. Years later, they managed only back-to-back 8-8 finishes in 2019 and 2020, due in large part to a lack of progression from quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Poles is correct. Unless you're almost 100% sure a player like that gets you to a Super Bowl, it's not worth it.