By this point Bears GM Ryan Pace looks safe. His young roster made sure of that with their win over the Cleveland Browns. Head coach John Fox is likely gone. However, plans seem to indicate that Pace will have another chance to hire the next head coach. At the same time this doesn’t exactly clear matters up. Not entirely anyway.
Pace may end up hiring the next coach, but does that guarantee he sticks around beyond 2018? Everybody remembers what happened with Lovie Smith. Phil Emery stuck with him for a year, then kicked him to the curb in favor of Marc Trestman. This could just be the reverse situation. The new coach pairs with Pace for a year and then they switch general managers.
Would the Bears be willing to take that sort of risk yet again after what a disaster it became four years ago? Well it turns out they may have learned their lesson after all. According to Ian Rapoport the Bears have plans to make sure they have stability at the top once the new head coach is in place.
GM Ryan Pace likely to get contract extension to match coach
.@RapSheet on Ryan Pace's future. #Bears
"I would imagine that at some point, when Pace makes the hire, we want to make sure that both of you guys (new coach) are here long-term."
— Mully And Hanley (@mullyhanley) December 29, 2017
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This revelation makes a certain logical sense. No coach will want to come to Chicago if he thinks there’s a likelihood change will happen in the front office at the first sign of trouble. Pace will be in the fourth season of a five-year deal in 2018 as things stand. Odds are the next coach will get a four-year deal like Fox did back in 2015. This means Pace is likely to get a two-year extension on his.
That means the two deals would essentially expire at the same time. So if things went wrong they’d both be out on the same timeline. It’s a good way to ensure stability while also keeping the money structure in order. Both men will know they’re joined at the hip moving forward, given the proper time to finish this ongoing project of the past few years.
