Bears President Kevin Warren: Ryan Poles will remain GM and hire our next coach

Following the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears say they remain on track moving forward with their leadership.

Bears president Kevin Warren said general manager Ryan Poles will remain in office and will be primarily responsible for hiring Eberflus’ successor.

“Ryan Poles is the general manager of the Chicago Bears and he will remain the general manager of the Chicago Bears,” Warren said. “Ryan is young, he is talented, he is smart, he works hard. He’s done everything in his power every day to bring a winner to Chicago, and I trust Ryan. My faith in Ryan remains strong. And as head of our football operations department and as our general manager, Ryan will serve as our coaching liaison in our upcoming search for a permanent head football coach.”

The Bears faced criticism for allowing Eberflus to hold a press conference Friday morning in which he said he expected to continue coaching the team, but fired him later in the day. Warren defended the Bears’ actions, saying the decision to fire Eberflus and promote offensive coordinator Thomas Brown to interim head coach was made Friday and everyone was informed as quickly as possible.

“These are not easy decisions. These people have worked hard. Coach Eberflus worked hard,” Warren said.

Warren made it clear that the Bears believe the No. 1 prospect is available in a young franchise quarterback.

“We have a quarterback in Caleb Williams who has shown he is special, and in the right environment he can become even more special,” Warren said.

Now the Bears need a coach who can get the most out of their special quarterback.