Unexpected Ryan Pace Development Could Alter Bears 2021 Outlook

Three games left. The Chicago Bears sit at 6-7, their 2020 season hanging by a thread. With it the potential futures of their entire hierarchy. Or so it would seem. The ongoing silence of George McCaskey and team ownership has made it difficult to determine what will happen with both GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. There are varying assessments. Some insiders believe both will be gone. Others think one will stay and the other goes. In that case, Pace being the one to go with Nagy staying. A big reason for this is the contract situations. Going into 2021, Pace would have just one year left on his current deal while Nagy would have two. This would make it far easier financially for the Bears to part ways with their GM.

At least this is what everybody thought.

Apparently, the organization may have pulled a fast one on everybody. Bill Zimmerman, the host of the Bears Banter podcast and executive producer for Mad Dog Radio revealed from a source that the Bears gave Pace a one-year contract extension at some point. This in order to line his deal up with Nagy's. If this is true, it could have significant consequences.

A big reason ownership may not want to fire each man this offseason is money. They'd be forced to pay both Pace and Nagy to go work for other teams while paying a new head coach and general manager to replace them. All this after the pandemic took a huge hit to their revenue with no fans in attendance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBPcT6qZpH0&ab_channel=NFL

Ryan Pace staying put in 2021 could have major consequences

Why? This would put him in a position to potentially draft the Bears' next quarterback in April. Or pull another trade for one. Considering his biggest acquisitions at that position are Mitch Trubisky, Mike Glennon, and Nick Foles? That should terrify people. There is no evidence to suggest the man is capable of finding the franchise QB that has eluded this team for decades. Is McCaskey really prepared to take such a risk? That could depend on the outcome of the final three games. The Bears just finished hammering the hapless Houston Texans on Sunday 36-7. That at least quieted things. However, if the team wants any prayer of making the playoffs and saving their season? They have to win out. That means beating Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Green Bay.

A tall order for a team that has struggled with consistency for two years now.

If they don't make it and finish 8-8 or 7-9, is that enough to save Ryan Pace? It shouldn't be. That will mean he'd have gone five of six seasons without a winning record and also watched this team collapse after a 5-1 starter. Combine that with the QB misfires? There is no way to justify keeping him in place regardless of how many years remain on his contract. Maybe McCaskey will indeed hire a new team president and leave the decision up to him. The removal of Ted Phillips is something fans have clamored for going back years. So such a big move might be seen as enough to sway people that giving Pace and Nagy another year won't be so bad.