Ryan Poles will have a lot of explaining to do if he trades CB Jaylon Johnson

When Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles traded Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for a second-round pick last season, Bears fans trusted the process. It made sense then, paying an off-ball linebacker top-of-the-market money was viewed similarly to paying running backs. You don’t do it.

But then it happened … Poles signed Tremaine Edmunds to a monster four-year, $72 million contract in free agency. It was a decision that made all Bears fans flinch. Why pay Edmunds that kind of contract after refusing to pay Smith, who by most accounts, is the better all-around player?

The Bears sold that decision as a scheme fit. Edmunds, stylistically, is more of a fit for Matt Eberflus’ defense.

OK, fine. Trust the process.

But here we are, eight weeks into an awful 2023 season, and Edmunds has yet to look like anything more than an average player on a defense that’s undeniably one of the worst in the NFL. Smith, meanwhile, is thriving with the Ravens, a team that continues to make good personnel decisions and annual trips to the playoffs.

Poles lost at least some trust from the fanbase after his about-face with Edmunds. But he has an opportunity to restore it by proving he believes in a simple roster-building premise: keep good, core, homegrown players in town for as long as they’re playing at a high level.

Several homegrown Bears began the 2023 season on expiring contracts: Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson, and Darnell Mooney. Debate within the fanbase about which one deserved a new deal first was settled by Poles’ choice to re-sign Kmet to a four-year, $50 million contract. It felt like an overpay for a non-dynamic tight end, but it at least signaled the third-year general manager’s willingness to reward Bears players who’ve proven to be quality starters on (and off) the field.

But the saga that’s unfolded with Jaylon Johnson’s attempt to get a new deal has become impossible to excuse. Poles is treating Johnson like he treated Roquan Smith. It appears he’s unwilling to meet Johnson’s contract demands, which is likely to be anywhere between $18 million and $20 million per season.

Sure, it’s a lot of money for a cornerback who only has three career interceptions, but Johnson, 24, has been Chicago’s most consistent defender since 2020 and deserves to be paid like one of the top cornerbacks in the NFC.

The Poles-Johnson negotiations have become so untenable that the Bears have granted Johnson permission to seek a trade. Translation? Johnson’s time in Chicago is basically over.

If this organization wants to take that stance on an off-ball linebacker? Fine. But on a 24-year-old top-tier cornerback? No, that’s just inexcusable.

Ryan Poles said during his introductory press conference that he wants to build a team that can sustain success. It’s a great goal, but you need good players to get there. And good players don’t come cheap. You have to pay up to keep them, and Poles is failing — miserably — in that department.

The NFL trade deadline strikes at 4 p.m. on Oct. 31. It’s coming up fast. Johnson’s time as a Bear could be in its final hours, which would be a shame.

The only way Ryan Poles and the Bears can save face with a Johnson trade is if they get a first-round pick in return for him. And that won’t happen.

Buckle up. The Bears could be sellers on Tuesday, and if they deal Jaylon Johnson, Ryan Poles will have a lot of explaining to do.