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Ryan Pace brings plenty of experience to his new role with Minnesota.

New Minnesota Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley is making moves again, this time bringing in a former GM of a division rival. 

According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the Vikings are hiring former Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace, and Azzaam Kapadia, a former Seattle Seahawks executive. Pace will be a football advisor and Kapadia will be an assistant director of pro scouting. 

Vikings Add Former Bears GM Ryan Pace as Part of the Front Office Rebuild

Pace spent seven seasons as the general manager of the Bears, compiling a 48-67 record and no playoff wins. At the time, he was the youngest GM in the NFL at just 37 years old. Pace had some success drafting players like cornerback Jaylon Johnson or running back David Montgomery, but also swung and missed twice at quarterback with Justin Fields and Mitchell Trubisky. After his firing, Pace went on to work for the Atlanta Falcons in various roles before parting ways with them earlier this spring. 

Kapadia, a 2023 graduate of the University of Virginia worked with Teasley in Seattle for the past few seasons, and will now rejoin him in Minnesota as part of the rebuilt front office. 

Pace and Kapadia will now join a Vikings front office that has undergone significant changes under Teasley. The new general manager has already moved on from several long-standing staffers, and hired a few new assistant general managers as well in Andrew Healy and Trent Kirchner in an effort to quickly assemble his staff.

After firing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January, the Vikings took their time to find his replacement. But now, time is of the essence, and Teasley has worked quickly to construct his front office ahead of training camp and preseason.  

The Vikings Quarterback Battle Steams Ahead as Predictions Continue to Roll in

While Teasley and his staff will have their work cut out for them this summer, the biggest question on the minds of fans is what Minnesota will do at quarterback. The battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy will continue on into training camp, but one former player now turned analyst thinks the decision should come down to one thing. 

“I am so glad that we showed Justin Jefferson because what’s going to decide for me is whoever Jefferson is the most comfortable with and whoever can get the ball to the man,” said Manti Te’o on Good Morning Football. “Because let’s be real, last year the hardest thing was you couldn’t get the ball to probably the best wide receiver in the game.” 

Head coach Kevin O’Connell and Teasley will have a huge decision to make in the coming months, and Jefferson could have a big impact on their choice. Still, it’s clear the Vikings won’t rush things, and this battle may even continue into preseason. 

“This is a first round draft pick,” continued Te’o. “If J.J. McCarthy wasn’t a first rounder, this a different conversation. The fact that McCarthy is a first round pick, that’s why you can’t just hand everything over to [Kyler].” 

Trevor Ripley Trevor Ripley is a Heavy writer covering the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. More about Trevor Ripley