George McCaskey didn’t make a lot of friends with his recent press conference where he declared GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy would be back. He knew it wasn’t going to be a popular decision. Not after a second-straight 8-8 season and another one-and-done trip to the playoffs. How in the world can this man be convinced those two are good for the future of the Chicago Bears?
To his credit, McCaskey went on the radio for both ESPN 1000 and 670 The Score to continue fielding questions. He isn’t hiding from his decision if nothing else. He made it clear Pace is the type of leader the organization wants running the football operations. He has made considerable strides at his job despite noted mistakes in the past.
Continuity is more valuable at this point than change.
The feeling is the Bears are closer to the top of the mountain than the bottom. It’s just a matter of getting a few things fixed. Most notably the quarterback position. Mitch Trubisky is a free agent and unlikely to return. Nick Foles isn’t starter-worthy unless they feel they have no other choice. It is virtually certain Pace and Nagy will go hunting for a new signal-caller.
What people aren’t sure about is just how much power the GM has. Is he allowed to be aggressive or has ownership put a limit on how hard he pushes to fix that position? Those questions were put to bed when McCaskey gave his answer on the Danny Parkins Show.
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If Ryan Pace wants to trade a #Bears future 1st-round pick to move up from No. 20 overall in this upcoming NFL Draft, he has the power to do that this spring?
George McCaskey: "He's the football guy. He makes the football decisions."
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 14, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EBw6sdtXVc&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
Ryan Pace will officially have no leash in 2021
This is terrifying a lot of people. The GM has already shown no restraint in giving up future assets in an effort to find quality players. He gave up three extra picks to grab Trubisky in 2017. He dealt multiple 1st round picks and a 2nd round pick in the trades for Khalil Mack and Anthony Miller in 2018. The man has already mortgaged the future in terms of money with his misguided moves for Nick Foles and Robert Quinn last year.
His available resources are thin. The only way he can go find them is either by sacrificing good players they already have or by borrowing more money and picks from the future. That just isn’t a way to build a successful football team over the long-term. It basically comes down to two courses of action. Selling out to find a legitimate quarterback or acquiring a serviceable one and surrounding him with the most help they can find.
All this while their best wide receiver is inching towards free agency.
There is no getting around it. McCaskey is trusting Ryan Pace, who has missed three times already at quarterback, to get the position right on what will be one last roll of the dice. If it fails, it won’t matter if he’s fired next year. The next regime could be left with nothing but an aging roster and empty coffers to work with. If the team chairman though Bears fans were mad now. Try to imagine how they’ll be if it ends up like that.