The Chicago Bears front office has weathered some massive storms in recent months. GM Ryan Poles is at the heart of it, taking heat for several questionable decisions that have kept the team in the NFC North basement. However, most agree that one of his best decisions was promoting Jeff King into the upper ranks of the front office. The former tight end has become one of Poles' most trusted subordinates. He's primarily credited for the push to sign Tyson Bagent as an undrafted free agent. Many outside the building see him as one of the team's best talent evaluators.
There are hopes that he will continue gaining an increased voice in personnel decisions, especially with Ben Johnson now in charge. The two share a relationship going back to their college days. However, we all know the vultures never stop circling. Chicago's front office has been pillaged for talent in the past. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune warns the same could happen with King. There is an interesting wrinkle, though.
It wouldn't be an NFL team doing the stealing. It would be a college program.
"If Jeff King has the desire to return to Blacksburg, Va., he likely would be a front-runner for the general manager job at Virginia Tech. The school hired Bruce Arians, a quarterback for the Hokies and assistant coach there in the mid-1970s, to assist in its search for a new coach. Arians said the first order of business is hiring a GM."
Ryan Poles knows King has a deep history at Virginia Tech.
He played four years as a tight end for the program from 2002 through 2005. He was part of one of their better stretches in program history, reaching the Sugar Bowl in 2004 and winning the Gator Bowl in 2005 with an 11-2 record. The team has gone downhill in a big way in recent years. After posting a winning record every year between 1993 and 2017, they've had a losing record in five of the last seven seasons. Part of the problem has been an overall talent deficiency.
Between 2021 and 2022, they saw eight players get drafted. In the past three years, that number dropped to six. It feels like the well ran dry, which is why they're hunting for a new GM. They need somebody who understands the new realities of the NIL era, which is basically college's version of free agency. Grabbing someone from the NFL makes sense, and King has obvious school ties. Here is hoping Ryan Poles can convince him to stay.
