Falcons Add Ex-Bears GM to Front Office Staff
The Atlanta Falcons have added former Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace to the front office staff, naming him a senior personnel executive, per the NFL Network.
He is the second ex-Bears GM to join the Falcons' staff, as Phil Emery, whom Pace replaced in Chicago in 2015, is also a senior personnel executive under current Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot.
Pace will be remembered as the guy who drafted Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in the 2017 NFL Draft, taking the North Carolina quarterback second overall. Mahomes was the second quarterback taken at No. 10 by the Chiefs before Watson went No. 12 to the Texans.
Pace has ties to Falcons' GM Fontenot, working with him in New Orleans for 13 seasons before leaving in 2015 to become the Bears' GM.
The Bears fired Pace after seven seasons and a 48-65 record. The Bears reached the playoffs twice but was ousted in the Wild Card Round in 2018 by the Eagles after posting a 12-4 record, and in 2020 by the Saints after ending the regular season 8-8.
Pace and the Bears let Trubisky go in free agency and drafted Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick in 2021. Starter Andy Dalton went down with an injury and Fields was overmatched in the NFL while the Bears went 6-11.
For all the shortcomings of Pace's tenure in Chicago, he did sign some notable free agents, including edge Robert Quinn, tight end Trey Burton, wide receiver Allen Robinson, and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks.
Pace also saw some success in the draft outside of the Trubisky pick, such as safety Adrian Amos (fifth round), center Cody Whitehair (second round), safety Eddie Jackson (fourth round), running back Tarik Cohen (fifth round), linebacker Roquan Smith (first round), guard James Daniels (second round), running back David Montgomery (third round) and wide receiver Darnell Mooney (fifth round).
Besides Emery, other former Bears personnel currently in Atlanta include offensive coordinator Dave Ragone, quarterbacks coach Charles London, running backs coach Michael Pitre, and outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino.
