On Wednesday morning, the Chicago Bears confirmed what many had been reporting since Tuesday night when they officially announced general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy would be returning for another season.
Bears’ GM Ryan Pace and HC Matt Nagy will return for the 2021 season. “I was impressed with both of them,” said
Bears’ Chairman George McCaskey.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 13, 2021
In a press conference with the Chicago media, chairman George McCaskey and president and CEO Ted Phillips announced the decision to retain Pace and Nagy, despite underperforming the last two seasons when they went 16-16 in the regular season.
“I was impressed with both of them,” McCaskey told the media. “The decisions we’re announcing today may not be the easiest, or the most popular. But we believe they’re the best decisions for the Bears.”
Phillips, who has been the team’s president since 1999, believes they have the right culture in place to be a winning franchise.
“When you sit back and look at what makes a successful organization, besides wins and losses, it’s the people,” Phillips said.
Both McCaskey and Phillips declined to confirm how many years remained on Pace and Nagy’s contracts, despite being pressed by the media.
Pace, who has been the team’s general manager since 2015 after coming over from the New Orleans Saints, has a record of 42-54 and just one season with a record over .500. The Bears made the postseason twice during his tenure, but lost in the wildcard round in each appearance, including this year when they fell to the Saints 21-9. His offseason moves have been defined by misses at the quarterback position, most notably when he drafted Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2017.
Nagy, meanwhile, has a record of 28-20 since becoming the team’s head coach three years ago after coming over from the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s fallen off, however, after his first season when he went 12-4 season that resulted in a division title. Since then, his offense has become stagnant and he’s failed to develop Trubisky into a franchise quarterback.
Both Pace and Nagy know they are fortunate to be back and plan to make the most of this opportunity.
“Ownership has given us an opportunity, they’ve given us all the resources we can ask for and now it’s on us to prove them right,” Pace said.
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