{{Short description|American sports executive (born 1977)}} {{Use American English|date=November 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Ryan Pace | image = | alt = | caption = | current_team = | position = | career_position =de | career_number = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|2|17}} | birth_place = Flower Mound, Texas, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 3 | weight_lb = 250 | high_school = Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) | college = Eastern Illinois | pastexecutive = * {{ubl|New Orleans Saints ({{nfly|2001|2014}})}} ** {{ubl|Operations assistant ({{nfly|2001}})}} ** {{ubl|Scouting assistant ({{nfly|2002|2003}})}} ** {{ubl|Professional personnel scout ({{nfly|2004|2006}})}} ** {{ubl|Director of professional scouting ({{nfly|2007|2012}})}} ** {{ubl|Director of player personnel ({{nfly|2013|2014}})}} * Chicago Bears ({{nfly|2015}}–{{nfly|2021}})<br>General manager * {{ubl|Atlanta Falcons ({{nfly|2022|2025}})}} ** {{ubl|Senior personnel executive ({{nfly|2022}})}} ** {{ubl|Director of player personnel ({{nfly|2023}})}} ** {{ubl|Vice president of football operations & player personnel ({{nfly|2024|2025}})}} | highlights = * Super Bowl champion (XLIV) * ''Sporting News'' Executive of the Year (2018) }} '''Ryan Pace''' (born February 17, 1977) is an American sports executive in the National Football League (NFL) who was most recently the vice president of football operations for the Atlanta Falcons. He served as the general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2015 to 2021. Before that, he worked in the New Orleans Saints' front office for 14 years.
==College career== Pace played linebacker at Edward S. Marcus High School before committing to Eastern Illinois in 1995; he had also received offers from Illinois State, North Texas, Texas State, and Western Illinois. EIU offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Clancy Barone praised Pace for his speed and athleticism, saying he "showed good toughness on film."<ref>{{cite news|last=Nielsen|first=Brian|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27219498/eiu_signs_one_player_from_academy/|title=EIU signs one player from academy, might get another|newspaper=Times-Courier (Mattoon, Illinois)|via=Newspapers.com|date=April 5, 1995|access-date=January 14, 2019}}</ref>
At EIU, he converted to defensive end and played for the Panthers from 1996 to 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eiupanthers.com/news/2015/1/8/FB_0108151205.aspx|title=Former EIU Player Ryan Pace Named Bears GM|work=Eastern Illinois Panthers|date=January 8, 2015|access-date=January 14, 2019}}</ref>
==Professional career== ===New Orleans Saints=== After not gaining any opportunities as a player, Pace was hired by the New Orleans Saints in 2001 as a coaching intern.<ref name="Former Panther enjoying life in the NFL's other side">{{cite news|last=Nielsen|first=Brian|date=October 13, 2001|title=Former Panther enjoying life in the NFL's other side|newspaper=Times-Courier (Mattoon, Illinois)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27218536/former_panther_enjoying_life_in_the/|access-date=January 14, 2019|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Six years later, Pace became the director of pro personnel, and in 2013, became the director of player personnel.<ref name="Bears interview">{{cite web|last=Dickerson|first=Jeff|url=http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post/_/id/4696879/potential-gms-chris-ballard-ryan-pace-visit-bears|title=Potential GMs Chris Ballard, Ryan Pace visit Bears|publisher=ESPN|date=January 7, 2015|access-date=January 8, 2015}}</ref> Pace was an executive in New Orleans during the team's most successful stretch in franchise history which included five playoff appearances, two NFC Championship appearances and winning Super Bowl XLIV.
===Chicago Bears=== In 2015, Pace was offered an interview for the general manager position by the New York Jets, but declined. He was later interviewed by the Chicago Bears for the general manager position on January 7,<ref name="Bears interview" /> and was hired the next day.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Biggs|first1=Brad|last2=Campbell|first2=Rich|last3=Wiederer|first3=Dan|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-hire-ryan-pace-gm-story.html|title=Bears hire Ryan Pace as general manager|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=January 8, 2015|access-date=January 8, 2015}}</ref> At 37 years of age at the time of his hiring, Pace was the youngest general manager in the NFL.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mayer|first=Larry|url=http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1/Pace-considers-Bears-a-perfect-fit/4c12b537-941b-436d-ab22-1fa9e9ed9f49|title=Pace considers Bears a perfect fit|publisher=Chicago Bears|date=January 9, 2015|access-date=January 9, 2015}}</ref> To replace the fired Marc Trestman, Pace hired John Fox as the Bears' head coach.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wright|first=Michael C.|url=http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/12180347/chicago-bears-hire-john-fox-coach|title=Bears hire John Fox as coach|publisher=ESPN|date=January 16, 2015|access-date=January 16, 2015}}</ref> Pace's first draft as Bears general manager saw him select Kevin White in the first round.<ref>{{cite web|last=Neveau|first=James|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/nfl-draft-grading-ryan-paces-first-performance-as-gm/98868/|title=NFL Draft: Grading Ryan Pace's First Performance as G.M.|publisher=WMAQ-TV|date=May 2, 2015|access-date=April 28, 2020}}</ref> After a 3–13 season in 2016 that gave the Bears the third-overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Pace moved up a spot in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky was the franchise's highest draft pick since 1951 and the highest it had taken a quarterback at that point.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stankevitz|first=JJ|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-bears/bears-trade-and-get-their-quarterback-north-carolinas-mitchell-trubisky|title=Bears trade up and get their quarterback: North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky|publisher=NBC Sports|date=April 27, 2017|access-date=April 28, 2020}}</ref> In Pace's first three years and the stretch of Fox's tenure, the Bears went 14–34, leading to Fox's firing after the 2017 season.<ref>{{cite web|last=Patra|first=Kevin|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000901544/article/chicago-bears-fire-coach-john-fox-after-511-season|title=Chicago Bears fire coach John Fox after 5-11 season|publisher=National Football League|date=January 1, 2018|access-date=January 1, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101174300/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000901544/article/chicago-bears-fire-coach-john-fox-after-511-season|archive-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref>
After Fox's firing, Pace hired Matt Nagy as Chicago's next head coach in 2018.<ref>{{cite news|last=Biggs|first=Brad|title=Bears hire Matt Nagy as franchise's 16th head coach|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-matt-nagy-coach-20180108-story.html|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=January 8, 2018|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> Before the season, the Bears traded their 2019 and 2020 first round draft picks for star Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack and made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24543080/chicago-bears-reach-agreement-trade-khalil-mack-oakland-raiders|title=Bears acquire Khalil Mack from Raiders, reach $141M extension|work=ESPN|date=September 2, 2018|access-date=September 4, 2018}}</ref> That year, the Bears went 12–4 to win the NFC North for the first time since 2010, while Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen, two fourth-round picks Pace made in 2017, were named All-Pro. Trubisky was named to the Pro Bowl as well. Pace was eventually named Executive of the Year by the ''Sporting News'', becoming the third Bears general manager to win the award after George Halas in 1956 and Michael McCaskey in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ellis|first=Cam|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/gm-ryan-pace-named-sporting-news-executive-year-first-bears-gm-win-1985|title=GM Ryan Pace named Sporting News' Executive of the Year, first Bears GM to win since 1985|publisher=NBC Sports Chicago|date=March 25, 2019|access-date=March 29, 2019}}</ref>
The Bears had the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Pace moved up nine spots in the first round in a trade with the New York Giants to select quarterback Justin Fields.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Finley|first=Patrick|date=2022-01-10|title=Bears fire GM Ryan Pace after 48-65 record to complete housecleaning|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2022/1/10/22872915/ryan-pace-fired-bears-gm-general-manager-record-draft-matt-nagy-mitchell-trubisky-justin-fields|access-date=2022-01-11|website=Chicago Sun-Times|language=en}}</ref> After a 6–11 2021 campaign, Pace and Nagy were fired on January 10, 2022. In seven seasons under Pace, Chicago went 48–65 with two playoff appearances (0–2 in playoff games). Following his exit, he released a statement of gratitude that described the news as "the tough part" of his occupation but he was "proud to have poured absolutely everything into making the Chicago Bears a better football team every single day".<ref>{{cite news|last=Mayer|first=Larry|url=https://www.chicagobears.com/news/ryan-pace-matt-nagy-release-statements-thanking-bears|title=Pace, Nagy release statements thanking Bears|publisher=Chicago Bears|date=January 10, 2022|access-date=January 18, 2022}}</ref>
===Atlanta Falcons=== On February 23, 2022, Pace was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as a senior personnel executive. The move reunited him with Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot, with whom he worked in New Orleans. On June 26, 2023, he was promoted to director of player personnel for the Falcons.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Simmons |first1=Myles |title=Report: Falcons promote Kyle Smith, Ryan Pace in front office |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/report-falcons-promote-kyle-smith-ryan-pace-in-front-office |website=NBC Sports|date=June 26, 2023 }}</ref> He was elevated to vice president of football operations and player personnel ahead of the 2024 season.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Charean |author-link=Charean Williams |date=August 19, 2024 |title=Falcons promote Ryan Pace to VP of football operations/player personnel |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/falcons-promote-ryan-pace-to-vp-of-football-operations-player-personnel |access-date=December 30, 2024 |work=ProFootballTalk |publisher=NBC Sports}}</ref>
On February 7, 2026, it was announced that the Falcons and Pace had parted ways as part of a broader restructuring.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Former Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace Is in the News Again|url=https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi/news/former-chicago-bears-gm-ryan-pace-in-the-news-again|access-date=February 26, 2026|website=si.com|language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== The son of Michael Pace and Ginger Phillips, Pace grew up in Flower Mound, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas. His grandfather Buck was a minor league baseball player.<ref>{{cite news|last=Nielsen|first=Brian|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27218185/mcelroy_ready_to_go_with_colts/|title=McElroy ready to go with Colts|newspaper=Times-Courier (Mattoon, Illinois)|via=Newspapers.com|date=July 31, 1999|access-date=January 14, 2019|quote=A week before the Ohio Valley Conference media day, Eastern's football press guides have arrived. [...] [S]enior defensive end Ryan Pace's grandfather played for the Washington Senators[.]}}</ref><ref name="EIU lineman improving at a rapid Pace">{{cite news|last=Nielsen|first=Brian|date=October 30, 1999|title=EIU lineman improving at a rapid Pace|newspaper=Times-Courier (Mattoon, Illinois)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27218962/eiu_lineman_improving_at_a_rapid_pace/|access-date=January 14, 2019|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
He and his wife Stephanie have one daughter together.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/photo-gallery/Bears-GM-Ryan-Pace-Day-One/a7e4e4cc-7963-4fd7-9865-203cfc740fd1|title=Bears GM Ryan Pace: Day One|work=Chicago Bears|date=January 9, 2015|access-date=January 9, 2015}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.chicagobears.com/team/staff/Ryan-Pace/705448c7-fd7e-4c3f-8f1a-91566dff67ab Chicago Bears bio]
{{Chicago Bears general manager navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pace, Ryan}} Category:Living people Category:1977 births Category:Sportspeople from Flower Mound, Texas Category:NFL general managers Category:Players of American football from Texas Category:Eastern Illinois Panthers football players Category:Edward S. Marcus High School alumni Category:Atlanta Falcons executives Category:Chicago Bears executives Category:New Orleans Saints executives