5 messes that Ryan Pace will leave Chicago Bears next GM

The Chicago Bears have officially decided to make a change at General Manager, letting Ryan Pace go this morning. The news is somewhat surprising to many considering we know that ownership views Pace in high esteem.

However, anyone who looks at what Pace has done over his career at Chicago knows that he has made too much of a mess to be retained. The team needed to start new.

The biggest issue that Pace had was that the last two seasons he started to press to try to save his job rather than be patient and try to set himself up for the longterm. It left the Bears in a spot where they are not ready to rebuild this roster quite yet.

These are some of the first things that a new General Manager will have to look at.

5. Jimmy Graham Contract

The Jimmy Graham contract has to be one of the biggest reasons that Pace is being let go. It spoke to his inability to be patient and to throw money around carelessly. Graham was aging and on the downside of his career, but Pace made him one of the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL.

By the end of the season, Graham was a number three tight end. Graham is going to be a free agent this season and is possibly going to retire. However, how Ryan Pace structured his contract has the Chicago Bears eating $4.6 million in dead money either way.

That is not back-breaking, but now a GM has to walk in knowing that he is down that money and not going to get anything out of it. It is the deals like this that cost Pace his job.