Ryan Pace has landed on his feet in Atlanta.
The former Bears general manager has joined the Falcons as a senior personnel executive working under GM Terry Fontenot, the team announced Thursday.
The Bears fired Pace and head coach Matt Nagy in January following a 6-11 finish to a frustrating, often directionless season. Pace and Nagy were able to tout their two playoff appearances in four years working together, but never moved past the Wild Card Round of the postseason.
Pace was best defined by two moves made in Chicago. The GM spent significant draft capital in 2018 to acquire edge-rushing menace Khalil Mack, who became the face of a rejuvenated Bears team that went 12-4, won the NFC North and earned Pace Executive of the Year honors. A year earlier, Pace traded up to the No. 2 overall pick to select North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. The selection was a flop, compounded further by the reaction from the 49ers -- the team with whom the Bears traded to move to No. 2 -- who expressed shock when realizing Chicago was moving up to take Trubisky.
Pace also spent his first-ever pick with the Bears (in 2015) on West Virginia receiver Kevin White, who struggled mightily with injuries and ended up proving to be a major bust.
Pace nailed at least a few picks, though, drafting the likes of Adrian Amos, Eddie Jackson, Eddie Goldman, Cody Whitehair, Tarik Cohen, Jordan Howard, Roquan Smith, James Daniels, and Darnell Mooney. His parting gift to the Bears: selecting potential franchise quarterback Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 draft.
Pace has demonstrated a solid eye for talent that he will bring to Atlanta, where he'll reunite with his former New Orleans Saints colleague in Fontenot.
Atlanta is in the midst of a youth movement built around an aging veteran quarterback in Matt Ryan. The Falcons will continue to attempt to infuse their roster with younger talent, an effort Pace is signing up to join.
