Ryan Pace Is The Bears' New GM

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 8, 2015 8:35PM

In a surprise move, the Chicago Bears announced the hiring of Ryan Pace as the team's new general manager a few moments ago.

Pace comes from the New Orleans Saints, where he advanced up the professional ladder over 14 years to become that team's director of player personnel and worked closely with GM Mickey Loomis. In that role, Pace has overseen the Saints' college and pro scouting and evaluation programs, and earned a Super Bowl ring with the 2009 team. Pace also was selected by the Saints in 2008 to attend Stanford Business School’s Executive Education NFL-Stanford Program for Managers, seen as a proving ground for promising football executives.

Pace's hiring came as speculation intensified the Bears would hire Kansas City Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard as GM. Ballard spent 12 years with the Bears and has a solid reputation as a college scout. And it appeared as though the job was Ballard's to lose before Pace interviewed with the team. According to Bear Report's Jeremy Stoltz, Pace "blew them away."

The Bears have scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Friday to introduce Pace, who will now take the point in finding a new head coach.