Bears chairman George McCaskey spoke to the team last week prior to the Bears’ 16-14 victory over the Lions on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field.
The firing of Nagy is considered by many as fait accompli, with “Fire Nagy” chants breaking out at various Chicago-area venues.
But until then, speculation about Nagy, Pace — and McCaskey and Phillips themselves — will continue to fester as the season concludes.
The McCaskeys are not going to sell the Bears, at least not while Virginia McCaskey is the owner.
But two major Pace mis-evaluations have kept the Bears on the skids — trading up to draft quarterback Mitch Trubisky in 2017 and hiring Nagy in 2018.
Outside of linebacker Roquan Smith, even Pace’s biggest hits have struggled to sustain success or stay on the field — Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Jackson, Allen Robinson, Eddie Goldman and Tarik Cohen among them.
And it would spare McCaskey and Phillips the chore of finding another general manager — their third in 10 years after firing Jerry Angelo after the 2011 season and Phil Emery in 2014 — which is not their strength.
The best argument for Pace is based almost entirely on potential — he addressed two of his biggest offensive issues in the 2021 draft with Fields and offensive tackles Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom.
But it wouldn’t be that far-fetched that McCaskey told Nagy he values having a young quarterback in place more than a playoff berth with Andy Dalton.
Nikola Vucevic has had a rough month, and that was all on display in the loss to Miami.