It’s wild how the narratives between Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace have shifted over the past few days. Nuggets continue to surface that the head coach will be fired following the season finale in Minnesota on January 9th. However, it feels like the opposite is happening with Pace. Though outside consultants have recommended firing the Chicago Bears GM, the McCaskey family has resisted the idea. They have respect and fondness for the man, both as an executive and a person.
Hub Arkush of Shaw Media revealed from his own sources that Pace has a “better than 50%” chance of staying with the organization in some capacity. Either as the GM or some other different role. Now another prominent Bears beat reporter offered a telling update on the situation. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune stated in his recent mailbag that his sources seem rather confident that Pace will return.
“I can tell you once source I spoke to earlier this week said a little more than a month ago, he would have put the chance of Pace staying at slightly higher than 50%. Now his belief is Pace’s chances of remaining with the Bears is greater than that. We know Chairman George McCaskey has held Pace in high regard for some time. He’s not going to let him be a guiding voice in a more than $100 million upgrade at Halas Hall without having total trust in him. It’s possible McCaskey wants to allow Pace to see through the development of quarterback Justin Fields and maybe McCaskey likes some of the younger players on the roster.”
This isn’t going to receive universal acclaim from Bears fans.
Quite the opposite. The backlash figures to be loud and vicious from certain sections. Rewarding a guy with one winning season since 2015 and misfired badly on Nagy and Mitch Trubisky doesn’t seem like the wisest decision. Yet several factors seem to be going in his favor at just the right time. Roquan Smith and Jaylon Johnson emerging on defense. Darnell Mooney and David Montgomery doing the same on offense. Robert Quinn breaking the franchise single-season sack record.
Combine that with the exciting flashes Fields showed this season and it’s not hard to see the McCaskeys convincing themselves that coaching is the bigger problem here. In fairness, they could be correct. The Bears look like they have enough talent to be better than their 6-10 record shows. Too often it felt like Nagy’s missteps were holding them back. Especially on offense. Pace wouldn’t be the first GM to get a chance at a third head coach.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Ryan Pace return would significantly alter offseason plans
Nowhere more than the coaching search. There is a possibility certain top candidates might not be interested in working with somebody that might be on the hot seat going into next season. This means the Bears would have to give him a contract extension or focus on candidates that are willing to work with him. Based on the latest rumblings, it sounds like the team would be focused on names with prior head coaching experience.
Already Leslie Frazier and Jim Harbaugh have come up in the past week or so. Others like Josh McDaniels and even Sean Payton continue to be mentioned as well. Payton of course had a strong relationship with Ryan Pace during their time in New Orleans together. Pace would know he absolutely can’t afford to get that hire wrong a third time. So going with a coach who has a proven track record is the safest play.
Can Pace be trusted with the decision?
That is the most important question here. He had full authority back in 2018 and went with Nagy. A coach from the Andy Reid tree with a deep offensive background but limited experience as a coordinator. That didn’t work out. While Nagy had good leadership qualities, his game management and ability to develop young players deserve the criticism it’s gotten. Maybe the third time will be the charm.
