Ryan Pace made one of the boldest moves in recent NFL history when he was GM of the Chicago Bears.
That came in the 2017 NFL Draft when he traded up to the No. 2 overall pick to select Mitchell Trubisky.
This happened when both Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes were still on the board.
Hindsight provides clarity, but the move was still criticized at the time.
Ultimately, Trubisky and head coach Matt Nagy did not pan out in Chicago.
That cost everyone a job and Pace was on the open market seeking new work.
He has reportedly found just that and is back in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
The funny thing is that Phil Emery, the GM in Chicago before Pace, is with the Falcons as well.
Moving Past One Defining Decision
Pace and Trubisky are forever linked because of how things turned out in Chicago.
Yet he is still clearly held in high enough regard to get a job with Atlanta so fast, even if it is with a former friend.
Even Trubisky is seeing his stock rise this offseason after a season as the backup in Buffalo.
If he ends up succeeding elsewhere, the former Bears GM won’t end up looking so bad after all.
Well, he still might because of his decision to stick with Nagy for so long.
Pace is still only 45 years old and has plenty of years in the NFL ahead of him.
Spending some time in Atlanta, and Trubisky proving he was not a total bust, could mean Pace has another GM job rather soon.
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