A lot of people weren’t happy when the Chicago Bears announced Ryan Pace was returning as GM for 2021. Most of that had to do with one primary reason. The team was obviously going to search for a new quarterback. Why would the organization put such a vital decision back in the hands of Pace? The same person who whiffed on all three of his noteworthy attempts in Mike Glennon, Mitch Trubisky, and Nick Foles.
That last one brings up an interesting point. A source randomly reached out to me and said the Foles debacle impacted Pace hard this past season. To a point he’s admitted to people inside Halas Hall that it was a mistake. He apparently “learned a lot” from it. Word is the Foles move was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to the Bears missing out on Tom Brady and Teddy Bridgewater, who were their two initial targets.
This is why they willingly gave up a 4th round pick to get him.
This despite limited evidence there was a strong market. In retrospect, he should’ve been more patient. There were much cheaper options available to him. Andy Dalton didn’t sign until May 2nd. The Bears also passed on Jalen Hurts in the draft not once but twice. Both were secured for pennies on the dollar by comparison. The belief is the Foles move has led to Pace debating and vetting QB options more than ever before.
Curious why the Bears haven’t been nearly as aggressive in the pursuit of Carson Wentz as people thought they’d be? This is one of the main reasons. Pace is determined to be more disciplined in his approach than he was with Foles and others. Head coach Matt Nagy is in his ear constantly. They are determined to not only make the right decision but the smart one as well.
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Did Ryan Pace learn his lesson too late?
A lot of Bears fans will have an obvious reaction to this. Where was this level-headed Pace back in 2017? If he’d had this supposed mindset back then, the odds are pretty good he would’ve gone with Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes rather than Mitch Trubisky. As everyone has learned since then, that pick was almost all Pace. Him following his instincts. He became convinced Trubisky could be the Bears’ version of Drew Brees.
While he did take input from others around him, reports later surfaced that he didn’t have near the consensus the team indicated at the time. A lot of scouts and coaches inside the organization weren’t sold on Trubisky including head coach John Fox himself. Ryan Pace clearly didn’t weigh their opinions enough and everybody knows what happened next.
The GM isn’t ignorant of his situation.
He knows full well most in his position don’t get another chance after one big miss at QB. Nevermind three. This is almost certainly his last chance. He can’t afford to blow it. Instinct? Going with his gut? Those luxuries are long gone. Every detail matters and every opinion must be weighed. Especially Nagy’s who has way more knowledge and experience with that position than Pace ever did.