After months of speculation, it finally happened. The Chicago Bears officially fired head coach Matt Nagy. NFL insider Adam Schefter was the first to break the news.
Nagy was hired by general manager Ryan Pace in 2018 after serving as offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2016-17 seasons. Nagy finished with a regular season record of 34-31, and he was 0-2 in both of his Wild Card appearances.
Bears fired Matt Nagy this morning, per source.
“I’ve never been in this position before, Nagy said on January 9, a day before he was fired, about the tenuousness of his situation. “For me, I continue to just go about business like normal. I mean that. I’ve had conversations as nothing has changed, as I’ve told you guys a few days ago. I know this. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen. I’m a positive person. Again, I think that it’s about these players right now, and these players have fought their asses off to play hard. They sacrifice their body every day. Everything else will take care of itself how it’s supposed to.”
In a corresponding move, Chicago also parted ways with general manager Ryan Pace, who has been with the team since 2015. Schefter was also the first to report the news.
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Many Felt There Was a Strong Chance Pace Would Return
While Nagy’s exit was fully expected, there were questions as to whether team Chairman George McCaskey would retain Pace. The McCaskey family is fond of Pace, and there were multiple rumblings from insiders covering the team the Bears might retain Pace and let him choose the new head coach. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
Bears fired Ryan Pace, per source.
Pace hired two head coaches during his Bears tenure, and neither fared well. John Fox was the first, and he was worse than Nagy, going 14-34 in three seasons with the team. As for Pace, he amassed a record of 48-64 in his seven seasons, with his team finishing with one winning record and zero playoff wins in that span.
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Bears Make Exits of Nagy, Pace Official
“One day after concluding their disappointing 2021 season with a 31-17 loss to the Vikings, the Bears on Monday relieved general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy of their duties,” Bears senior writer Larry Mayer wrote on January 10, via the team’s official website.
Almost one year ago, after the Bears finished 8-8 for the second straight season, fans were clamoring for change, and McCaskey said this about Nagy and Pace:
“We understand your frustration. We’re frustrated, too. And it would be a perfectly natural reaction to say, ‘Back up the truck, major overhaul,’ whatever you want to call it. After one particularly dispiriting loss this season, a season-ticket holder sent me an email that read: ‘Fire somebody. We deserve better.’ I get it. You deserve your Bears being winners. The decisions we’re announcing today might not be the easiest or most popular, but we believe they’re the best decisions for the Bears.”
After another disappointing season that saw Chicago finish 6-11, McCaskey finally did what fans and analysts have been clamoring for, and now, big changes are on the horizon in the Windy City.
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Bears Reach Final Decisions on HC Matt Nagy, GM Ryan Pace