The situation with Matt Nagy appears resolved at this point. Following the finale in Minnesota on Sunday, the Chicago Bears head coach will be relieved of his duties. The steady decline of the team and inability of the offense to perform better has sealed his fate. What many people can’t seem to figure out is the situation with GM Ryan Pace. One would think after seven seasons without a playoff victory and the man who hired Nagy in the first place, he should be gone too.
Yet nothing is ever that simple with this organization. SM and others have reported for weeks that the McCaskey family is reluctant to move on from Pace. They liked the work he’s done for the organization and believe he is the sort of person with the character and leadership necessary to guide it. Despite mounting outside pressure, there is a genuine belief they may still decide to keep him. Hub Arkush of Shaw Media and a longtime Bears analyst revealed on Parkins & Spiegel for 670 The Score that this is the likely direction it’s going.
“What I’ve heard from several good sources is that Ryan is probably going to be remaining with the organization whether that is as the general manager. Whether that is even with more authority as a top football guy or whether it is in a reorganized front office. That (is what) nobody seems to know. But people close to the situation continue to report that the McCaskey family is happy with him as a football executive. Not just as a person…
…So the indication I get is that it’s better than 50-50 that Ryan Pace sticks around.”
The wording of his revelation is interesting.
Arkush made it pretty clear that Pace may not necessarily return as the GM. He could be reassigned to another as yet unspecified position. This goes back to the rumblings that the McCaskeys could take a similar approach fellow Chicago owner Jerry Reinsdorf did with Kenny Williams and John Paxson. Give them advisory roles in the organization while handing GM duties off to somebody new.
This might be the only way ownership avoids an outright revolt from fans and media. Most of them wanted Pace out at the end of the 2020 season. His misfires on Nagy and Mitch Trubisky combined with one winning season since 2015 were plenty of cause to send him packing. To keep him after a 6-11 or 7-10 season would be a spit in the face from their perspective. A clear embracing of mediocrity.
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Ryan Pace has a few factors working in his favor
One is the recent ascent of some of his draft choices. Roquan Smith and David Montgomery are both team leaders and becoming studs on the field. Jaylon Johnson looks like a viable top cornerback and Darnell Mooney is close to 1,000 yards receiving in his second season. There is also the fact Robert Quinn, his prized free agent signing in 2020, just broke the single-season franchise record with 18 sacks. The timing of that is perfect.
Then there is Justin Fields. The 1st round pick may not have the greatest numbers this year, but he’s shown bright flashes of potential at quarterback. Reports are he has a lot of fans inside Halas Hall including the McCaskeys themselves. Considering Ryan Pace was the guy who made that pick happen with his bold trade up in the draft last April, it seems only fair to give the man a chance to build around the kid.
While a fair argument, it won’t be enough to many.
Pace put the Bears in their current position. He hired Nagy, mismanaged the salary cap, and has left the organization with no 1st round pick in the 2022 draft after having no 1st round picks in the 2019 and 2020 drafts due to his aggressive trades. This is the second-oldest roster in the NFL and still leagues behind Green Bay. Why should anybody trust he is capable of closing the gap in the next year or two if he couldn’t do it after the last seven?
McCaskey will have a hard time selling that one.
