The Chicago Bears had a chance to bring back a familiar face to run their front office six year ago. Chris Ballard, then the Chiefs director of player personnel, seemed like such an obvious choice. He’d been a scout in Chicago for years. He knew the city, knew the ownership, and knew the scouting department. In the end, the Bears went with Ryan Pace. Ballard ended up in Indianapolis and has them on course to the playoffs. So could George Paton be their shot at redemption?
With Pace’s job being in jeopardy, it’s no secret the Bears could be on the hunt for a new GM next month. Paton is a name that is strongly connected to them. It’s not hard to see why. Hired as Director of Player Personnel by the Minnesota Vikings in 2006, he eventually became their Assistant GM by 2012. With his helped, the team has reached the playoffs six times and played in two NFC championship games.
Remember the Bears have made the playoffs six times since 1994.
What makes Paton so appealing is his pedigree. He’s learned at the side of one of the best GMs in the NFL in Rick Spielman, spending over a decade learning how to construct and reconstruct competitive rosters. Just look at some of the talent he’s helped acquire up there:
- Adrian Peterson
- Everson Griffen
- Kyle Rudolph
- Harrison Smith
- Xavier Rhodes
- Cordarrelle Patterson
- Anthony Barr
- Danielle Hunter
- Dalvin Cook
- Justin Jefferson
So that begs the question. If he’s so attractive, why hasn’t he been hired already? To be fair he’s come close. Belief is he would’ve been the San Francisco 49ers GM in 2017 if John Lynch hadn’t gotten the job. Other teams like the Browns and Jets have expressed interest. The Bears also inquired back in 2015 but he declined to interview. According to Peter Schrager of NFL Network, Paton isn’t “media-friendly.” He prefers to be under the radar.
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George Paton helped provide the Bears a parting gift
So what does Paton have to do with Ballard? The man actually got his first big break in the NFL with the Bears. He was a scout for them in the 1990s and was their Assistant Director of Pro Personnel by the year 2000. However, when Jerry Angelo arrived the next season he decided to leave for Miami along with Spielman. That is how he eventually found his way to Minnesota.
Before leaving though, Paton did have a hand in setting the Bears up for their future success in the 2000s. He had a voice in those offseasons that landed the team mainstays like Olin Kreutz and Brian Urlacher. This guy is ready to run his own team. It comes down to whether the Bears will give him what he wants in terms of control. He doesn’t have to leave Minnesota. He has a lot of stability there. So the McCaskeyes would have to make a strong offer.
Should they do it? All the signs point to definitely.
George Paton could’ve and probably should’ve been a GM years ago. He has nothing left to prove as a personnel director. He’s successfully built competitive rosters for years. The experience is there. The track record is there. As first-time candidates go, there is nobody across the NFL who is more prepared than him.
