LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Bears have had a tornado of trade rumors and chatter swirling around their organization for the past week.
A beat reporter in Indianapolis reported the Bears checked in on the availability and trade price for running back Jonathan Taylor. The best I could gather was that the call was a minor check-in that would never lead to substantial trade discussions.
During the Bears' preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Bears had given Trevis Gipson "permission to seek a trade." The Bears released Gipson on Tuesday as part of their final cuts. The fourth-year defensive end tweeted that he "never requested a trade" after his release.
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There was also some odd chatter Monday about the Bears potentially looking to trade wide receiver Darnell Mooney at some point during the season. That talk stems from a ProFootballFocus article that listed players who could be "surprise trade candidates" this season. It did not state the Bears were actively shopping Mooney.
Regardless, Poles is apparently as online as the rest of us and felt the need to address the rumors Wednesday during his post-cutdown-day media availability.
"Trade rumors, kind of cracked me up the stuff that I hear." Poles told the assembled media at Halas Hall. "You know we turned every stone. We investigate everything. Nothing really got serious. Never thought about or had any conversations about trading Mooney, which is interesting, and Trevis Gipson never came in my office and said that he wanted to be traded. So, just want to make that stuff clear."
The Mooney one, in particular, was likely why Poles felt the need to address the swirling and unsubstantiated rumors. The Bears view Mooney as part of their long-term future. They want to make sure his surgically repaired ankle holds up before getting deep into extension talks.
Still, Poles doesn't want a guy who is a valuable part of the locker room to think the Bears are shopping him around.
"I like to address it just to knock it out," Pole said when asked if he addresses all false rumors. "And sometimes, if it doesn't turn into something huge, I guess I assume that everyone is like, all right, it's gone. But if it gets out of control, I definitely talk to the guys and make sure we're on the same page."
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The Colts were unable to deal Taylor, who requested a trade earlier this month. Trading for Taylor wouldn't have made sense for the Bears. The Colts reportedly want a first-round pick or equivalent value in exchange for the running back, and the Bears would have to give Taylor a lucrative extension after acquiring him.
As for Gipson, the Tulsa product went unclaimed on waivers, and now will look to find a new home with a scheme that best fits his skill set.
Poles, meanwhile, will continue to look under every rock for ways to improve the Bears' roster, but just because he looks doesn't mean he'll take what he finds.