In recent years, the Chicago Bears have been something of a laughingstock across the NFL.
They have made the playoffs just twice since 2010 and they have failed to win a single postseason contest during that span.
In 2021, Chicago finished 6-11, and it led to some big changes, which included the firing of general manager Ryan Pace.
Weeks later, the Atlanta Falcons hired him to be their senior personnel executive, and now he has been promoted to the role of director of player personnel, via Adam Schefter.
Former Bears’ GM Ryan Pace, who had become a scout for Atlanta, has been named the Falcons’ new director of player personnel.
Atlanta’s former director of player personnel, Kyle Smith, has been promoted to the Falcons’ assistant general manager.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 28, 2023
Pace made his name years ago as a member of the New Orleans Saints’ scouting department, and he was their director of professional scouting when they won the Super Bowl during the 2009 season behind star quarterback Drew Brees.
He was then hired by the Bears in 2015 in the hopes that he would revive the long-dormant franchise.
He was behind the trade that allowed them to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, and although Trubisky made the Pro Bowl in his second season, he never really panned out, and he left following the 2020 campaign.
The Falcons had a dismal 2022 season in which they won just seven games, but they’re hoping to become relevant again very soon.
They had the good fortune to draft running back Bijan Robinson, whom many feel will become a big-time star, while wide receiver Drake London is coming off a strong rookie season.
Atlanta has a sizable hole at quarterback, where they’re relying on Desmond Ridder, a third-round pick in 2022, to run the show, but perhaps they have the offensive firepower to start improving.
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