The Chicago Bears have fired head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Nagy finished his Bears career with a 34-33 record, including both of Chicago’s playoff losses. During Pace’s seven-year tenure, the Bears went 48-67 and failed to win a playoff game in two appearances.
While Nagy’s firing was expected, as many had anticipated for the last couple of months, Pace’s firing comes as more of a surprise considering there weren’t a lot of reports that his job was in danger.
Nagy’s fate is an outcome many wouldn’t have seen coming following his impressive 2018 season where he led the Bears to a 12-4 record, their first NFC North title since 2008 and was named Coach of the Year.
Since then, Nagy has gone 22-27 and has two five-game losing streaks in consecutive seasons to his name. Chicago’s offense, which Nagy was brought in to revolutionize, had gotten progressively worse with each passing season. Considering Nagy’s mishandling of hopeful franchise quarterback Justin Fields, it was clear that Nagy wasn’t the guy to develop Fields.
While Nagy’s firing was expected two months before it happened, Pace’s future remained more tight-lipped. Chairman George McCaskey has been fond of Pace, which led many to believe he could find a different position within the organization.
Pace needed to be held accountable for his role in the struggles of this team. During seven years, Pace’s tenure has been defined by roster holes, bad salary cap management and lack of draft capital.
While there’s no denying Pace has an eye for talent during the draft process — as evidenced by some impressive selections in the later rounds — there’s more that goes into running a football team.
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