When the Chicago Bears decided to keep head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace around for the 2021 season, it was made clear that the team needed to make the playoffs for jobs to ve saved. With the team eliminated from playoff contention, changes are coming to Chicago.
It’s a foregone conclusion that Nagy will be fired. After three consecutive disappointing seasons, the franchise is prepared to move on from the 2018 AP NFL Coach of the Year. But he might not be the only prominent member of the organization fired.
According to The Athletic’s Adam Jahns, chairman George McCaskey is reportedly considering “everything” to fix this franchise. It means Pace and team president Ted Phillips could also be in danger of losing their jobs after the season.
Moving on from Pace wouldn’t be a surprise. Hired as general manager in 2015, the veteran NFL executive hired John Fox has overseen football operations and played a central role in the hiring of Nagy and former head coach John Fox.
- Chicago Bears record (2015-2021): 46-64, 0-2 in playoffs
Pace made the decision to trade two third-round picks and a fourth-round pick to move up one spot in the 2017 NFL Draft for quarterback Mitch Trubisky. He is also responsible for multiple whiffs in free agency, proving costly for the team’s cap situation in recent years.
Given Phillips joined the Chicago Bears in 1983 and worked his way up the front office ladder, becoming CEO and team president in 1999, the franchise might explore an alternative exit for Phillips. He could retire from football, allowing Chicago to conduct a complete organizational reset and creating a new hierarchy that will hopefully result in a more successful franchise.
If that happens, even without a 2022 first-round pick, quarterback Justin Fields will be a strong enough foundational player to attract top coaching candidates.