March 12--Ryan Pace is in the middle of one of his busiest stretches of his first offseason as Bears general manager. With the NFL's free agency frenzy still ongoing, Pace has plenty of work left as he continues molding the Bears' roster to his liking. But on Wednesday afternoon, the 38-year-old GM had a new prize to show off at Halas Hall, introducing new Bears outside linebacker Pernell McPhee at a press conference in Lake Forest.
The Bears officially announced a five-year contract for McPhee, which league sources indicate will be worth up to $40 million with $16 million in guarantees. And Pace was eager to Wednesday to explain his vision for the 26-year-old pass rusher.
"I want to say how excited we are about the addition of Pernell McPhee," Pace said. "This is a player we honestly targeted right from the onset. He's a highly productive, disruptive and versatile defender. This guy not only brings the top physical talent but also the right mentality and makeup for our football team."
Still, McPhee wasn't the only player or issue Pace talked about Wednesday at Halas Hall. Here's what he had to say regarding a handful of other notable storylines.
On the status of quarterback Jay Cutler
"We went through a process of thoroughly evaluating the roster and we're moving forward with Jay Cutler as our starting quarterback. We spent time with him on a personal basis. It's getting to know him as a person, like I said initially. And I think just being thorough with all of that. That helped us come to this conclusion."
On whether not offering Cutler a vote of confidence earlier had created any sort of tension
"I don't think so. This is a new group that's come in together. New general manager, new head coach, new coaches. And I think that this was just a process for us all. So I don't feel like there's any fence mending (needed). He understood the process we were going through. And we're excited together going forward."
On the trade of receiver Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets
"He's a good football player. And going forward, we felt that this was best for us. And quite frankly, it's the best situation for him too. So that's where we're at. Again, it's just analyzing the whole roster and looking at 'Hey what's best for the Chicago Bears? And what's best for Brandon Marshall?' And that was our decision going forward. He was understanding. I'd like to keep a lot of those conversations internal. But I think we both feel good about where we're at right now."
On his vision for what McPhee can bring to the Bears' defense
"A couple things stand out. First of all, he's disruptive. He hits the quarterback a ton. I think he's an ascending player. I like the violence that he plays with. He's got length. He gets off blocks. I think he's a well-rounded player too. So I think he's a productive pass rusher but also a steady, consistent run defender."
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