Bears’ offseason moves impress a notoriously cynical Chicago beat writer

The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg rarely, if ever keeps an opinion to himself. And most of his opinions fall into the snarky bucket.

Don’t get us wrong: Greenberg’s a smart, insightful, oftentimes hilarious writer. But he does have a tendency to call B.S. when B.S. needs to be called.

In a typically Greenberg-ian piece breaking down the Chicago Bears' offseason machinations, the Chicago-based scribe kept his snark under wraps (sort of), saying, “While the Bears famously haven’t won a Super Bowl since their shufflin’ days, Chicago’s charter franchise is a perennial contender from January through April—congrats to general manager Ryan Poles for a third consecutive championship-caliber offseason—so this is nothing unique.”

Later on in the lengthy piece, he was uncharacteristically positive: “Sarcasm is natural when discussing the Bears—in season or off—but it’s hard to be dismissive of what the Bears have done since winning their season finale in Green Bay. No one’s hoisting a banner in Chicago, but if fans want to celebrate with a beer and a mock draft, I can’t blame them.”

He May Be Right

Greenberg’s take makes perfect sense—there’s precedent in Bearsland that a good offseason doth not equal a quality campaign (see: spring of 2024), thus his skepticism is justified.

But even the semi-jaded writer acknowledges that GM Ryan Poles’ multitude of moves—hiring Ben Johnson as head coach, remaking the coaching staff, trading for a Pro Bowl O-lineman in Joe Thuney, landing multiple key free agents to rebuild the team’s messy trenches—makes this offseason feel different…and better. “[W]hile I’m not camping out in Grant Park waiting for the parade, I’m not going to poke fun at Poles for another offseason championship, either.”

Fair point, but you know what? Considering the slick Halas Hall rebuild, pitching a tent in Grant Park wouldn’t be unwarranted.