Bears GM Ryan Pace touched on a wide range of topics in an exclusive interview with Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune on Thursday. Here’s a look at the highlights: 
On matching cornerback Kyle Fuller’s offer sheet:
We didn’t have a lot of heads up on it. We found out very close to receiving the offer sheet that he was in Green Bay. When he was coming back from that trip he was connecting in Chicago on a layover and he stayed in Chicago.
On announcing the plan to match the sheet hours later:
We could have waited and dragged it out. Hey, we know we like the player. Once we understood the contract and we knew it was a fair contract, let’s just be decisive and go.
On whether he wanted Fuller to sign an offer sheet elsewhere so that another team would work out the long-term deal for him:
We talked about that and the difficulty of negotiating off the franchise tag. So with the transition tag it allowed us a greater possibility (he would sign an offer sheet) and it allowed us the flexibility with the transition tag you can negotiate all the way through the season.
On his ideal scenario for the top seven picks in the draft:
Four quarterbacks go…I don’t know [if that’s realistic]. I think three might be realistic but you never know. We have to prepare for all of those scenarios. We’ll prepare for best case and we’ll prepare for worst case. That’s what is fun this time of year. You have all of your evaluations in. Now we prepare for all of those different things that can transpire.
On whether teams have called about the No. 8 pick:
We haven’t [received inquiries] yet. I’m not surprised. I think that will heat up as you get a little closer. When the Jets came up (from No. 6 to No. 3), they were putting themselves in a position where they know they can (get a player they want) where maybe No. 8 is a little too far back for that. It’s hard to predict.
As a Bears fan I’m not at all convinced that 4 QBs going off the board in the first seven picks helps us become a better team. Pace is liable to trade up one spot like last year then snatch us another Kevin White (Doh!). I have a hard time being confident in a GM who spent 18 mil on Mike Glennon and then realized his evaluation was way off the mark.
Why are you still harping on the Glennon thing? It’s was a very low risk move. The Bears weren’t expected to make playoffs last season; Pace gambled and it didn’t pay off. It’s not your money, and Bears had to spend. Glennon’s contract doesn’t hinder the Bears this season, so let’s just move on.
My bad with the double post.
I wasn’t aware that one comment qualifies as harping but why are you so defensive when someone questions the actions of front office personnel? Where do you think the money comes from to blow 18mil if not from the fans who ultimately are the ones that make those lucrative TV and merchandising deals possible?
Well said White Sox fan
You can rip the front office for a lot of things, but the 2 that you mentioned aren’t particularly good choices.
Was Glennon overpaid? Yup, but they had a ridiculous amount of cap space available, and the contract was structured very well, allowing them to get out from under it very easily.
And I’m not really sure how you can knock on him for drafting Kevin White. He was arguably the top WR in the class and ended up getting hurt. Unless you can somehow magically predict injuries, it’s hard to fault the front office there…
If you badly overpay a player then work hard to find yourself an easy way out of the contract it proves you don’t even trust your own judgement.
The problem with White wasn’t drafting him but keeping him around while allowing other WRs like Marshal and Jeffery to leave. At least they were providing some amount of production.
I agree with Priggs
Bears are in a good spot. They addressed their biggest concern in FA and really need to find an interior lineman, play-making DB, and Pass rushing LB in the draft. That’s a tall order for sure, but they should be able to do that.
Looking at the draft, I see three players worth taking at 8 who fit address those needs (Chubb, Fitzpatrick, Nelson.)
If four QBs go in the top 7, then one of those players is guaranteed to be available (unless something insane happens like a team taking Nelson over Barkley!) There are two ways that could happen. 1) Both The Giants and Broncos address their QB need with their picks. 2) QB needy teams like Arizona, Buffalo and Miami trade up to take QBs.
The worst case scenario is that only 3 QBs go in the top 7 – in which case the above three players would almost assuredly be taken before the Bears pick. In that scenario, either Arizona, Buffalo, or Miami didn’t trade up – which puts the Bears in a great spot to move down.
Arizona would probably love to move ahead of Buffalo and Miami. Buffalo would probably love to move ahead of Miami. And Miami might want to move up to guarantee those teams don’t leap them. There’s a lot of leverage to be had when you’re on the clock and there’s only one top QB prospect remaining on the board.
A move down would allow the Bears to pick between the next tier of guys, which includes Ward (CB), Jackson (CB), Edmunds (LB), Davenport (DL/LB), Smith (LB), Hernandez (G), and Williams – while acquiring multiple extra picks in the process.
I think the Bears best off season move was retaining Vic Fangio. They probably had to promise him that defense would get first priority in this draft to accomplish that. If the Nagy experiment doesn’t work then Fangio is the logical replacement and as far as plan Bs go it’s not a bad one.
There is really nothing logical in that replacement strategy. The Fangio as HC ship has sailed. This is Nagy’s team.
I wouldn’t be so sure Chief. If Nagy can develop Trubisky into a top QB he gets to stick around as HC but if Mitch turns out to be another Rex Grossman they will go to their fallback plan.
I think definitely 3 QBs go off quick. Don’t know to who other then the Jets and Browns. But, a 4th team may get antsy and move up if there’s something crazy that happens like the jets take Mayfield over Rosen or the Browns take Allen over Darnold and everyone trips over themselves to move up for Rosen or Darnold. The Colts r in the drivers seat at 6 in my opinion. They need players everywhere. They could move back 1 or 2 more times to get more capital. The Bears r in a great spot to hopefully get Nelson to protect Trubisky. Who I think can be the real deal once they take the training wheels off