Atlanta ousts former Bears GM Ryan Pace one day before the Super Bowl. The Falcons move on, contrasting sharply with Chicago's recent success.
There was a firing in the NFL one day before the Super Bowl kicked off.
The Atlanta Falcons decided to fire Vice President of Football Operations and Player Personnel Ryan Pace, via NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Pace was the former General Manager of the Chicago Bears from 2015-2021.
The former Bears executive was brought to Atlanta alongside Terry Fontenot, who was the GM there from 2021-2025.
During Pace's tenure, the Bears went to the playoffs twice and lost in the Wild Card Round both times. Pace went through two head coaches during his time in the Windy City. He had to fire John Fox in 2017 and Matt Nagy in 2021.
The franchise is in a much better spot now with Ryan Poles running the show. Poles hired head coach Ben Johnson, who went to the Divisional Round of the playoffs in his first season.
Poles has also proven he knows how to scout NFL talent.
Out of the eight players he picked in the 2025 NFL Draft, four of them were starters for Chicago this past season. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, Ozzy Trapilo and Kyle Monangai all had an immediate impact for the Bears.
Trapilo didn't start right away, but earned the starting job at left tackle after the 31-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12. Loveland led the team in receiving yards, while Burden had a solid season as well.
Monangai finished with over 700 rushing yards as a rookie.
The Bears and Falcons have been connected a lot recently.
Former Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham interviewed twice with the Falcons. Cunningham had a part in the turnaround of Chicago, joining the franchise when Poles did in 2022.
Cunningham first interviewed for the President of Football opening, but didn't get that job. He then interviewed for the GM position and got it.
According to the NFL's Rooney Rule, the Bears should've received draft picks for it because Cunningham was a minority hire. However, the NFL doesn't consider Cunningham the Falcons' primary football executive because Matt Ryan is the President of Football.
However, a new development happened recently, as Ryan shared that Cunningham will be in charge of free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft for the Falcons, adding to the frustration of Bears fans.
The difference in the Pace and Poles era is pretty straightforward. Chicago is definitely glad it's led by Poles now instead.