Ryan Poles very critical of the NFL free agency process
Bears reporter Adam Hoge had the chance to speak with Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
A very interesting subject they talked about was the whole Larry Ogunjobi situation. For those of you that don't remember, The Bears and Ogunjobi initially agreed to terms on a 3-year deal of $40.5 million which included $26.35 million guaranteed. However, a few days later, it was announced that Ogunjobi had failed his physical coming off a foot injury. This was a really tough blow.
Poles called the whole situation "emotionally draining." He reportedly sat with Ogunjobi in the backseat of a car and explained to him why they couldn't sign him. " Poles mentioned that he thinks "the process is flawed" and that NFL teams should have access to medical information earlier. He also mentioned that it's something that should be addressed in future league meetings.
I could not agree more with our GM. This is so important. The worst thing is that for close to 3 full days, the Bears were certain that they had the 3-technique position filled and then this came out. They lost the opportunity to sign a replacement during those 3 days and the market was significantly thinner afterwards.
In my mind, that topic should not even be up for discussion, I think teams have the right to know all the information prior to negotiating the contract. If not, it's simply negotiating in bad faith.
