So much is riding on what happens Sunday between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. For the Packers, it’s a chance to lock up the #1 seed in the NFC and home field advantage in the playoffs. For the Bears, it’s a chance to be in the playoffs at all. Just the sixth time since 1995. Beyond that, there could be a lot of jobs on the line too. Head coach Matt Nagy is one but especially GM Ryan Pace.
Pace has run the organization since 2015 when he replaced Phil Emery. In that time he basically built the current roster from scratch. After a difficult first three seasons, the Bears seemed to break through in 2018 with a 12-4 record. People felt the team was ready to pursue a Super Bowl. Time has shown those thoughts were premature. Chicago is just 16-15 since that season ended.
A big reason why can be attributed to Pace’s work.
While he deserves plenty of credit for finding noteworthy talents in later rounds of the draft and also some overlooked free agents, the fact is Pace has a lot of high-profile misfires on his resume. None bigger than quarterback Mitch Trubisky who hasn’t lived up to his status as a #2 overall pick. Throw in other names like Kevin White, Adam Shaheen, Anthony Miller, Nick Foles, and Robert Quinn? It’s easy to see why people have called for his head a lot this year.
The belief is he is the most likely person to get fired if the Bears miss the playoffs. In part, because he only has one year left on his contract. Or so people thought. Turns out that may not actually be the case. A few weeks back Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron reported from a source the Bears may have quietly given the GM a one-year extension to line his deal up with Nagy’s through 2022. Eventually he backed off, citing uncertainty.
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It turns out he may have had it right the whole time according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
“When the Bears hired Nagy on Jan. 8, 2018, they didn’t announce the length of his contract. A little more than a week earlier, before Pace launched the search to replace coach John Fox, the Bears awarded Pace a two-year contract extension that ran through 2021.
Later, we learned the duration of Nagy’s contract is five years, carrying through 2022. One source said it’s believed the Bears adjusted Pace’s deal to run concurrently with Nagy’s, but it’s unknown whether that happened.”
Ryan Pace isn’t quite as “fireable” as first thought
Dismissing a man with one year left on his contract isn’t nearly as expensive as two. Considering how much revenue the Bears lost this year because of the pandemic, their willingness to eat that money just for the sake of making a change feels unlikely. Biggs indicated the same. George McCaskey and ownership like Pace. They respect his preparation and leadership. Keeping the GM for one more year isn’t an entirely hard sell.
“It seems most likely the Bears will choose to keep the regime in place in 2021. While an ugly loss to the Packers could reshape thinking, it’s not in the team’s nature to fire a coach with two years remaining on his contract.”
There are reasons to feels encouraged about Ryan Pace too. Despite his well-known mistakes, there is growing proof he’s gotten better at his job over time. His latest 1st round pick Roquan Smith has morphed into a genuine star. David Montgomery cracked 1,000 yards rushing. Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars, both undrafted free agents last year, are now productive starters on the offensive line. Rookie draft picks Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson, and Darnell Mooney have each made big contributions this season as well.
It’s not like he has left the cupboard completely bare.
McCaskey may wish to give them one more year to see if they can break through. A year that isn’t plagued by a worldwide pandemic. A lot of fans wouldn’t like it. Understandably so. Then again it isn’t hard to see why the Bears would do it. Especially with six other teams already hunting for new GMs anyway.
