The Chicago Bears were one of the top teams in the NFL this past season, winning 12 games and capturing the NFC North division title. Of course, they went on to suffer a devastating Wild Card Round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but that didn't change the fact that they were still a very good ballclub throughout the entirety of the year.

That's why The Sporting News has named Bears general manager Ryan Pace the Executive of the Year, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

You can see why Pace was honored with the award, as he had an incredible offseason last year that catapulted Chicago into contender status.

While his biggest move was acquiring linebacker Khalil Mack in a trade with the Oakland Raiders, Pace made a plethora of moves that elevated the Bears, starting with signing wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel and tight end Trey Burton to help in what was a stagnant passing game.

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Pace also re-signed key cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Kyle Fuller, and then, in last year's NFL Draft, he landed linebacker Roquan Smith, offensive lineman James Daniels, wide out Anthony Miller and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols.

Plus, he hired Matt Nagy as head coach.

The 42-year-old was named the Bears' general manager back in 2015. While Chicago muddled in his first three years, winning six, three and five games, respectively, the team was clearly in rebuilding mode, and Pace did a phenomenal job of putting this current group together.

The Bears have gone from being one of the worst teams in the league to becoming a trendy Super Bowl pick heading into 2019.