By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Chicago Bears thought that Justin Fields would be a saving grace for the team leading into the 2021 season. However, Fields showed glimpses of being a future franchise signal-caller.
However, that was not enough for Bears management to keep head coach Matt Nagy. He was let go on Monday after leading the team for four seasons.
“It was an honor to serve as your head coach over the past four seasons,” Nagy said in a statement. “I want to thank Ted Phillips, George H. McCaskey, and Mrs. Virginia McCaskey for the opportunity to lead one of the game’s most storied franchises. It’s four years I’ll always remember.”
Nagy was 34-33 in the four seasons with the team. He was also 0-2 in the team’s two playoff appearances under his leadership.
His first season began with a 12-4 record. However, in the final three seasons, the team did not have a winning record. While he had one winning record, he had two seasons, where he guided the team to .500 records at 8-8.
This past season, though, Nagy guided the Bears to a 6-11 record.
Before Thanksgiving, Nagy had to deal with rumors that he was going to be fired. A local Chicago reporter claimed that Nagy was going to be fired leading into their game with the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
The Bears never fired a head coach during the season. And the franchise kept that streak alive with the move to part ways with Nagy at the end of the season.
Pace had been the Bears GM since 2015. He made some questionable decisions in the role.
He made a blockbuster deal with the Oakland Raiders to acquire Khalil Mack. The Bears gave up first-round draft picks in the 2019 and 2020 NFL Drafts to get Mack, who was then signed to a massive contract.
He also traded up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire Mitchell Trubisky in the draft. He was a bust with the Bears, who departed the team at the end of the 2021 season before signing a free-agent contract with the Buffalo Bills.
Pace also drafted wide receiver Kevin White, who was also a bust.
“I want to thank the Bears organization, especially Mrs. Virginia McCaskey, George McCaskey, and Ted Phillips, for the last seven years,” Pace said in a statement. “This is a first-class organization and my family and I enjoyed our time in Chicago. Today’s news is the tough part of our business but I am proud to have poured absolutely everything into making the Chicago Bears a better football team every single day since first stepping foot into Halas Hall. From the expansion of Halas Hall, to every staff hire, every roster move, every scouting trip, every draft pick was with a championship vision in mind.”
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