Vikings Hiring Former Bears General Manager in Advisory Role

Ex-Bears GM Ryan Pace is joining Nolan Teasley's front office in Minnesota as a football advisor.

Jan 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace before the game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Vikings are hiring former Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace as a football advisor in their front office, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

Not to be confused with Ryan Poles, the Bears' current GM who the Vikings interviewed before hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in 2022, Pace led Chicago's front office from 2015-21. After three rough years under head coach John Fox, the Bears hired Matt Nagy as head coach and won the NFC North in 2018. They made the playoffs again in 2020, but after a 6-11 2021 season, Pace and Nagy were fired.

Since his firing in Chicago, Pace has worked for the Atlanta Falcons for four years in various roles. He was most recently Atlanta's VP of football operations and player personnel, after previously holding the titles of senior personnel executive and director of player personnel. Pace was let go by the Falcons in February.

Before his tenure in Chicago, Pace spent 14 seasons in the New Orleans' Saints organization. He started out as an assistant and worked his way up through the professional scouting side, spending six years as their director of pro scouting and then two as the director of player personnel. Pace, who is just 49 years old, is a Texas native who played defensive end at Eastern Illinois.

During his seven years with the Bears, Pace's notable draft picks included Leonard Floyd, Cody Whitehair, Eddie Jackson, Roquan Smith, David Montgomery, Jaylon Johnson, and Darnell Mooney. His undoing was getting the quarterback position wrong twice with Mitch Trubisky (2017) and Justin Fields (2021).

Nonetheless, Pace's 25 years of NFL experience with three different organizations should make him an asset for the Vikings in a role where he won't be making personnel decisions.

Teasley poaches another Seahawks staffer

The Vikings are also hiring Azzaam Kapadia as their assistant director of pro personnel, according to his LinkedIn page. Kapadia was previously with the Seahawks, making him the second front office member Nolan Teasley is bringing with him from Seattle to Minnesota. The other is new Vikings assistant general manager Trent Kirchner.

Kapadia was a pro scout with the Seahawks last year after breaking in as a player personnel intern. He's a 2023 University of Virginia graduate whose first NFL experience came as a remote film analyst with the Cleveland Browns during his senior year. Kapadia also worked as an assistant in video, scouting, and recruiting for the Virginia football program during his time there.