General manager Ryan Pace enters his fourth season with the Bears after spending the previous 14 years with the Saints, where he worked closely with Payton.
"He's someone that is really passionate and it's awfully important to him," Payton told ChicagoBears.com this week at the NFL Combine. "I think he's very talented."
Pace was hired by the Saints initially as an operations assistant in 2001 before serving as a scouting assistant (2002-03), pro scout (2004-06), director of pro scouting (2007-12) and director of player personnel (2013-14). Payton became the team's head coach in 2006 and is now entering his 13th season.