Five games remain in the 2021 season for the Chicago Bears. Their next one takes place at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. Pretty much everybody can guess how that one is going to go. A loss feels inevitable. It is merely a matter of how bad it gets. Some in the media believe that there could be consequences for everybody in the organization if it’s another ugly blowout. Particularly for the two men at the top in GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy.
Where do things stand right now? All signs point to Nagy being out. It is almost a foregone conclusion. The big question mark is Pace. Insiders haven’t been able to get a clear indication of where the GM sits in the eyes of ownership. Recently former players Lance Briggs and Olin Kreutz both admitted they’ve been hearing whispers that the organization is hunting for a replacement.
That leaves one unanswered question.
Does this mean Pace is getting fired or is it possible George McCaskey will seek to reassign him to another position in the organization? Sort of a demotion disguised as a promotion to Vice President of Football Operations or some other title. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron raised this concern as well. It was here that Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog once again chimed in with a surprising bit of inside information.
Nagy? Yes. Pace- not sure. Seems to be trending towards a new GM last week or so, just not sure if Pace is let go or reassigned.
— Bill Zimmerman (@ZimmermanSXM) December 11, 2021
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Pace promotion not on table.
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) December 11, 2021
That is a significant bit of information. It basically means one of two things are going to happen. Either Pace will be retained as GM or he will be fired. There won’t be any middle ground. So which is it? Hughes isn’t entirely certain. He added further details a few moments later. It appears there is a division inside Halas Hall on this issue. Some are backing to keep Pace and others want him out.
Right now there is a serious divide inside the building re: Pace. (Nagy is done.) There are a lot of moving pieces within the organization playing a role.
My prediction is that Pace will be fired. But it’s not a super confident prediction.
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) December 11, 2021
Ryan Pace has allies but that might not be enough
There is no determining who exactly is supporting the embattled GM. All one can do is make calculated guesses. It’s safe to imagine Joey Laine and Chip Kelly are both in his corner. Pace was the one who brought them in back in 2015 after all. Maybe team president Ted Phillips is trying to keep him too since he was the one who hired the GM and supported the decision to keep him this year.
In the end, the one person that matters in this discussion is George McCaskey. He has the final say over what will happen with the Bears’ power structure. If Ryan Pace can’t convince him that he deserves to stick around, then it won’t matter how many people he has in his corner come next month. It sure doesn’t sound like things are trending in a favorable direction for him. Especially if the team loses again to Green Bay.
That would push Pace’s record to 2-12 against the Packers since he took over.
Considering he was hired to close the gap with them? That isn’t a great look. Pace had plenty of opportunities to get this team over the hump. He came close but missed on too many pivotal decisions including quarterback and head coach. He isn’t the first GM that has happened to and won’t be the last. It’s time for a fresh start.