Vikings Add Ryan Pace To Front Office

Nolan Teasley continues to shape his front office in Minnesota, and he’s landed an experienced executive to the mix. The Vikings are hiring Ryan Pace to serve as an advisor, according to Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Pace started his front office career in New Orleans, where he worked his way up from an operations assistant to director of player personnel. He was hired as the Bears general manager in 2015 and proceeded to spend seven years in the role.

He had ups and downs during his tenure atop Chicago’s front office. He earned Executive of the Year honors in 2018 after trading for Khalil Mack and shaping a roster that won 12 games. However, the Bears lost their Wild Card matchup to the Eagles that season. That represented one of only two playoff appearances during Pace’s tenure with the organization, as the Bears were also ousted in the Wild Card Round of the 2020 postseason.

Pace’s draft track record was plenty hit and miss during his Chicago stint. He landed on defensive stars like Leonard Floyd and Roquan Smith with first-round picks, but his first-round investments in WR Kevin White and QB Mitchell Trubisky weren’t nearly as successful. His final swing came in the 2021 draft, when he traded up to select quarterback Justin Fields. After the Bears went 6-11 that season, Pace was ousted.

He later reemerged in Atlanta, where he was hired as a senior personnel executive in 2022. He earned a promotion to director of player personnel in 2023 and later vice president of football operations & player personnel in 2024. After Ian Cunningham was named Atlanta’s new GM back in January, Pace and the Falcons reportedly parted ways.

Now, he’ll land back in the NFC North, where Teasley is navigating his first few weeks as the front office leader. The new GM has already hired Andrew Healy and Trent Kirchner as his top lieutenant. Per Goessling, the Vikings have also hired former Seahawks scout Azzaam Kapadia as assistant director of pro scouting.