The offseason awards continue rolling in for the Bears.
On Sunday, GM Ryan Pace was named Sporting News' Executive of the Year award. The award's fitting, given what Pace was able to do during the 2018 offseason to turn a 5-11 team into the NFC North Champions:
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Pace is the third Bears executive to win the award - George Halas and Michael McCaskey both won the award in 1956 and 1985, respectively. The award was voted on by a group of Pace's peers and other executives around the NFL. He talked with Sporting News about what the win meant for him and the Bears organization:
"It's extremely humbling," Pace told Sporting News upon reception of his award. "It’s also motivating. (Halas and McCaskey) have really set the high standards we strive to live up to. Every day we walk into Halas Hall. To me it’s just a constant reminder of how fortunate we are to be a part of this."
Perhaps no team was more active than the Bears in the 2018 offseason. Though the hiring of Matt Nagy and signing of Robinson, Gabriel, and Burton made headlines, it may be Pace's 2017 draft that ends up being the feather in his Bears' cap. Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen, both taken in that draft's 4th round, were named All-Pros after their stellar 2018 seasons. As Pace heads to Arizona this week for the NFL's annual Owner Meetings, questions about his offseason plans continue to linger.
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