Atlanta Falcons Part Ways with Former Chicago Bears GM

With the news that Atlanta Falcons rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was arrested on multiple charges, breaking on Saturday evening, a move in the Falcons' front office slid under the radar a bit.

Earlier on Saturday, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported the Falcons had parted ways with VP of football operations/player personnel Ryan Pace, who joined the Falcons in February of 2022.

Pace was previously the general manager with the Chicago Bears, and at the time of his hiring in 2015, he was the youngest (37) general manager in football.

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Pace is part of the house cleaning Arthur Blank has done since the Falcons ended their season with a win over the New Orleans Saints on January 4th. Head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot were dismissed within hours after the game, and by Monday, CEO of the Falcons, Rich McKay had been reassigned within Blank's empire as well.

The first move the Falcons made was to hire Matt Ryan as president of football, effectively eliminating Pace's role.

The Falcons were one of 10 teams that were looking for a new coach, and they quickly pounced on Kevin Stefanski who was fired by the Cleveland Browns. They took a little more time in the general manager search, and settled on Roswell native Ian Cunningham of the Chicago Bears.

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It's a little ironic that one Bear is replacing another, but their time didn't overlap in Chicago. Cunningham was hired in 2022 as assistant general manager to Ryan Poles, who replaced Pace that year.

Pace's original title with the Falcons was ambiguous as a senior personnel executive, but he was moved up the chain in 2023 to director of player personnel, before adding VP of football operations to his title in 2024.

His influence was felt heavily on the 2022 team, as that roster was littered with former Chicago Bears, while the Falcons battled salary cap problems. Wide receiver Damiere Byrd, offensive linemen Elijah Wilkinson and Germain Ifedi, tight end MyCole Pruitt, running back Damien Williams, defensive tackle Abdullah Anderson, and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski were all players who played for the Bears in Pace's tenure.

The Falcons also signed wide receiver Darnell Mooney from the Bears to a big free agent contract the following spring.

Arthur Blank's Atlanta Falcons haven't had a winning season since 2017. They have the second-longest playoff-less streak in the NFL - changes needed to be made. Blank cleaned house in January, and that now includes Ryan Pace in February.