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MOBILE, Ala. — Bears general manager Ryan Poles moved cautiously through his first three offseasons, wary of spending the team right back into the salary-cap mess he was hired to clean up. He talked frequently about wanting his rebuild to be “sustainable,” and while he did add talent through free agency, it was always with an eye on the books.
He signed linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in 2023 for $72 million over four years, for example, but that was instead of the five-year, $100 million deal Roquan Smith wanted.