Bears GM Ryan Pace has his kicker search in high gear: 'I promise we'll explore every avenue'

INDIANAPOLIS - On a frigid and blustery Friday last month, Ryan Pace held an invitation-only gathering at Halas Hall. The guest list was short with one important prerequisite. You had to have a strong leg.

For a few hours, Pace and the Bears held a kicking audition indoors, desperate to find a potential replacement for Cody Parkey.

Parkey, of course, was a replacement for Mike Nugent. Who was a late-season emergency replacement in 2017 for Cairo Santos. Who was a replacement for Connor Barth. Who was the replacement for Robbie Gould, the franchise's all-time leading