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One of the bigger mysteries surrounding the Chicago Bears is the future of current general manager Ryan Pace.
One top Bears insider, Adam Hoge of NBC Sports, revealed on December 16 that the Bears have “begun to do their homework on potential general manager replacements for Ryan Pace, according to multiple league sources.” Hoge also revealed Bears brass still hold Pace in high regard, and there is no guarantee he’ll be leaving the building when head coach Matt Nagy very likely gets his walking papers at season’s end.
In a well-sourced December 15 report for The Chicago Tribune, Dan Wiederer shared information he received from a source who knows Pace well — and it paints the Bears GM in a very unflattering light.
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Pace Called ‘Coy & Unwilling to Rock the Boat’ By Source Close to Him
Wiederer spoke to over a dozen sources connected to the Bears, including one who has close ties to Pace, and it’s clear the Bears’ GM has some very strong qualities.
“One league source who has gotten to know Pace well over the years describes him as a passionate, driven and ‘incredibly likable’ person who should have little difficulty finding success in another role if his time as general manager comes to an end,” Wiederer wrote.
“Ryan has a chance to be a phenomenal director of pro personnel or director of college scouting,” the source told Wiederer. “And I mean phenomenal. The guy gets the game on that level. And anyone that classifies him as overmatched or unqualified is badly mistaken. He has a lot of amazing qualities.”
But according to Wiederer, that same source had some damning things to say about Pace’s leadership qualities:
In the same breath, however, that same source described Pace as overly coy and unwilling to rock the boat, perhaps conflict-averse to a fault. ‘Conflict puts the fear of God in Ryan,’ the source said. ‘And unfortunately when you’re running an organization in a league as competitive as this, that’s not an ideal quality. It slows your ability to find resolution to a wide array of issues, big and small.’ Through that lens, the source said, it’s not only fair but necessary to question Pace’s overall leadership qualities, particularly now with the Bears again at a crossroads.
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Bears Could Move Pace to New Role
Hoge wrote on December 16 that “one source cautioned that the organization is likely contemplating many different options right now. … there is still a very strong respect for Pace inside the walls of Halas Hall. Because of that respect, many believe Pace could be retained, either as the general manager or under a new title resulting from organizational reshuffling above him.”
Pace was retained by the Bears in 2015, and he has led the team to just one winning season in that span, accumulating a record of 46-65. The team has also gone 0-2 in the postseason under his leadership. With four games remaining in the 2021 NFL season, it’s looking like team chairman George McCaskey is going to have to weigh his personal feelings and respect for Pace against the lack of results the GM has put forth. We’ll know soon enough what means more to McCaskey and company.
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