People keep talking about Matt Nagy, but the bigger question for the Chicago Bears is what they’ll do with Ryan Pace. Is he out as GM? The answer to that question will drastically alter how their entire 2022 offseason will go. Starting with the head coach hire and everything beyond that. Right now nobody can say for sure if Pace is out, but it is clear he’s on the hot seat. George McCaskey hasn’t reached a definitive conclusion yet.
Albert Breer of the MMQB has spoken at length on the Bears’ power structure situation. He, like everybody else, seems certain Nagy is gone. In terms of replacements, he has mentioned Josh McDaniels on two occasions now. Interesting given his reliable sources in the past. This time around he took a chance to discuss the GM situation. The name he elected to bring up this time is fairly noteworthy.
“I’d check in and see if there’s a way to pry Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay out of Dallas. He’s fantastic and capable of not just captaining a scouting department but being the lead guy for an entire operation, with his experience not just in evaluation but also in analytics and coaching.”
When talking about big fish? McClay sits atop the list.
He has helped run the Dallas front office since his promotion in 2014. In that time, the organization has enjoyed some of the best drafting its had in several years.
- Zack Martin
- DeMarcus Lawrence
- Byron Jones
- Dak Prescott
- Ezekiel Elliott
- Leighton Vander Esch
- CeeDee Lamb
- Trevon Diggs
- Micah Parsons
Just a string of outstanding talent that has helped turn the Cowboys into one of the favorites in the NFC this year. McClay also has coaching experience from his time in the Arena League. So he can see things from both sides of the coin. An advantage many executives don’t have. If the Bears were looking to land somebody notable, they don’t get much more respected than him.
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Luring McClay would be difficult for the Chicago Bears
Reports out of Dallas are that the VP of player personnel is in no hurry to leave the organization. He enjoys a prominent position and loves it there. So one can imagine he wouldn’t just leave for any regular GM job. A team would have to offer plenty of incentives to do so. Having Justin Fields is a good start. McCaskey would also likely have to offer a hefty contract with long-term security and also be willing to let McClay reshape the scouting department.
Something he wasn’t willing to do back in 2015 when Chris Ballard seemed like a favorite for the job. The Chicago Bears have chased notable names in the past but never seemed able to lure one. At least with the McCaskeys in charge. If they want to change that narrative, they must be willing to make the sacrifices necessary. This ownership has maintained the status quo for long enough.
McClay can help right the ship.
What nobody can say for sure is if it’ll even reach that point. There is no certainty around the job status of Pace. Some believe there is still a chance the Bears decide to keep him. In such a case, it would drastically alter the outlook of this team’s offseason approach in 2022. If the losses continue to pile up down the stretch, it’ll be more and more difficult for McCaskey to justify such a move.
