The Chicago Bears decided to clean house in their front office following a disappointing 6-11 season, firing head coach Matt Nagy along with general manager Ryan Pace.
It was obviously time for both of their stints in Chicago to be over after multiple mediocre seasons in a row, but it appears that Pace has landed on his feet quite nicely following his firing.
Reports out on Thursday say the Atlanta Falcons are hiring Pace to be their senior personnel executive. He will work alongside general manager Terry Fontenot in the Falcons front office.
The #Falcons hired former #Bears GM Ryan Pace as a senior personnel executive.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 24, 2022
Given how his time ended in Chicago, there are many people skeptical of how well he will fare in this role with the Falcons.
https://twitter.com/hawkize/status/1496900203231776778
Have Pace focus primarily on rounds 4 and 5 and tell him no trades giving away picks are allowed. Do that and you’ll really have something, Falcons. https://t.co/kQeVidJPGc
— Heath Cline (@heathradio) February 24, 2022
Get ready for some high powered offense Atlanta!!! https://t.co/zm4p96yTAL pic.twitter.com/ZnAcJw5kkx
— 🗡️Charles Dagnall 🗡️ (@CharlesDagnall) February 24, 2022
While many believe that this could be a mistake for the Falcons, others point to the fact that Pace actually did have some solid late-round draft picks that have been very productive for the Bears.
Happy for him. Pace is a good scout. He definitely has a place in this league https://t.co/19FTJQO11a
— As a Former NFL Agent (@TommyK_NFLDraft) February 24, 2022
Didn’t take long for Ryan Pace to find a job. #Bears https://t.co/ae6dhp5wFX
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) February 24, 2022
As long as Ryan is an evaluator and not a decision maker, this isn’t a bad hire at all. https://t.co/4gDMRumER0
— Orin James Romain (@orinromain) February 24, 2022
This is a move that makes sense for the Falcons given Pace’s familiarity with the Falcons’ current front office. Pace and Fontenot spent 13 years together while they were both a part of the New Orleans Saints organization.
Falcons GM Terry Fontenot spent several years with Pace in New Orleans. Was an obvious connection. https://t.co/ZNWWxEuHmh
— Bill Zimmerman (@BillTZimmerman) February 24, 2022
The Falcons will certainly need Pace to help out with some of the issues in their organization. Quarterback Matt Ryan has a cap hit of over $48 million dollars in 2022, which would be the largest for a player in NFL history, and is certainly a concern for the team going forward.
Falcons QB Matt Ryan is currently scheduled to have a cap hit of $48,662,500 in 2022.
That would be the largest cap hit for any player in NFL history.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 24, 2022
With an aging roster and uncertain future for the Falcons, hopefully, Pace can help right the ship of the team going forward, repairing his reputation with detractors along the way.
