Story perspectives

Vikings Add Former Bears GM Ryan Pace as Adviser.

6/17/2026

Summary

Vikings Hire Pace

The Minnesota Vikings hired former Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace—who led the Bears 2015-2021 and was the Falcons' VP of football operations and player personnel 2024-25—as football adviser, a move by GM Nolan Teasley.
The Vikings added Azzaam Kapadia as assistant director of pro scouting and hired Browns analytics executive Andrew Healy as assistant GM.
Assistant GM Trent Kirchner and former Seahawks assistant GM Demitrius Washington were reshaped under Teasley.

Summary

Wilf Promotes Teasley

Mark Wilf announced that Nolan Teasley and Kevin O'Connell will report, giving Teasley authority over 53-man roster.
Rob Brzezinski will stay as negotiator and analyst and served as interim GM after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Jan. 30 dismissal.
Teasley arrived from the Seattle Seahawks after a tenure that included seasons as assistant GM (2023-25).
Ryan Pace joined as an advisor after serving as Chicago Bears GM (2015-21) and with the Atlanta Falcons.

Summary

Pace Drafts

Ryan Pace’s most criticized personnel moves were drafting quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky in 2017 and Justin Fields in 2021, both deemed failures.
During his Bears tenure he also drafted players like Leonard Floyd, Cody Whitehair, Eddie Jackson and Roquan Smith after 14 seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
Azzaam Kapadia, a 2023 University of Virginia graduate, began his NFL career as a remote film analyst for the Cleveland Browns while still a senior.

History

Historical Context

The NFL’s hard salary-cap, first imposed in the 1993 CBA and tightened by the 2011 agreement that required clubs to spend about 89 % of the cap over four years, pushed teams to seek efficiency. In that climate, the Minnesota Vikings hired former Bears GM Ryan Pace as adviser and gave Nolan Teasley full control of the 53-man roster, mirroring earlier analytics-driven moves by other clubs.

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Vikings Hire Pace

The Minnesota Vikings hired former Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace—who led the Bears 2015-2021 and was the Falcons' VP of football operations and player personnel 2024-25—as football adviser, a move by GM Nolan Teasley.
The Vikings added Azzaam Kapadia as assistant director of pro scouting and hired Browns analytics executive Andrew Healy as assistant GM.
Assistant GM Trent Kirchner and former Seahawks assistant GM Demitrius Washington were reshaped under Teasley.

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