Introduction
Ryan Pace (born February 17, 1977) is an American sports executive in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2015 to 2021. Prior to that, he worked in the New Orleans Saints' front office for 14 years.
College career
Pace played linebacker at Edward S. Marcus High School before committing to Eastern Illinois in 1995; he had also received offers from Illinois State, North Texas, Texas State, and Western Illinois. EIU offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Clancy Barone praised Pace for his speed and athleticism, saying he "showed good toughness on film."
At EIU, he converted to defensive end and played for the Panthers from 1996 to 1999; despite entering college at 200 pounds (91 kg), he increased his weight to 250 lb (110 kg) by his senior year. In 1998, he led the team in tackles for loss (nine) and fumble recoveries (three). He received his degree in marketing.
Professional career
After not gaining any opportunities as a player, Pace was hired by the New Orleans Saints in 2001 as a coaching intern. Six years later, Pace became the director of pro personnel, and in 2013, became the director of player personnel.
In 2015, Pace was offered an interview for the general manager position by the New York Jets, but declined. He was later interviewed by the Chicago Bears for the general manager position on January 7, and was hired the next day. At 37 years of age at the time of his hiring, Pace was the youngest general manager in the NFL. To replace the fired Marc Trestman, Pace hired John Fox as the Bears' head coach. Pace's first draft as Bears general manager, the 2015 NFL Draft, saw him select Kevin White in the first round. After a 3–13 season in 2016 that gave the Bears the third-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Pace moved up a spot in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. In Pace's first three years and the stretch of Fox's tenure, the Bears went 14–34, leading to Fox's firing after the 2017 season.
After Fox's firing, Pace hired Matt Nagy as Chicago's next head coach in 2018. Before the season, the Bears traded their 2019 and 2020 1st round draft picks for star Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack and made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. That year, the Bears went 12–4 to win the NFC North for the first time since 2010, while Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen, two fourth-round picks Pace made in 2017, were named All-Pro. Mitchell Trubisky was named a Pro Bowler in 2017 as well. Pace was eventually named Executive of the Year by the Sporting News, becoming the third Bears general manager to win the award after George Halas in 1956 and Michael McCaskey in 1985.
However, the next two seasons saw the Bears regress considerably, with the team posting back-to-back 8-8 seasons in 2019 and 2020. Underscoring the team's problems was inconsistent play from Trubisky compared to fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, who were a part of the same 2017 draft class. Since a 5-1 start in the 2020 season, the Bears went on to lose 19 of 28 games by the conclusion of the 2021 season. On January 10, 2022, Pace, along with Nagy, was fired by the Bears, compiling a 48-65 record since his tenure began, along with an 0-2 record in the playoffs.
Personal life
The son of Michael Pace and Ginger Phillips, Pace grew up in Flower Mound, Texas which is a suburb of Dallas. His grandfather Buck was a minor league baseball player.
He and his wife Stephanie have one daughter together.