Former Bears GM Ryan Pace out of Falcons' front office: report

New management for the Falcons meant the departure of former Bears general manager Ryan Pace. Pace, who was vice president of football operations, is out following the arrival new president of football Matt Ryan and general manager Ian Cunningham, NFL Network reported. It was unclear whether he was fired or they parted mutually.

The Falcons went 30-38 during Pace’s time in their front office under former general manager Terry Fontenot.

Pace, 48, got his first shot at being a general manager when the Bears hired him in 2015 after a long run as a Saints scout and executive. Both of his head-coaching hires, John Fox and Matt Nagy, were fired in four seasons or fewer. Both of his first-round picks at quarterback, Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields, failed to establish themselves and earn a second contract with the team.

The Bears went 48-65 with two playoff appearances under Pace (one for going 8-8 in 2020), and he left them in shambles when they fired him after the 2021 season. New general manager Ryan Poles inherited a team that had spent itself into a salary-cap mess and mortgaged its future draft capital, prompting him to do a full teardown in 2022.

The only players left on the Bears’ roster from the Pace era are kicker Cairo Santos, tight end Cole Kmet and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.