Will he or won’t he? That question will sound vague to most people. Chicago Bears fans though will understand exactly what it means. It is in reference to GM Ryan Pace and whether or not he will make a change at quarterback in this upcoming 2020 offseason. Will he stick with Mitch Trubisky, his floundering former #2 overall pick or will he admit he made a mistake and look to find an alternative before the great defense he’s built is wasted?
Nobody can answer this question. Pace has kept his answers regarding Trubisky reserved all season whenever he’s spoken to the media. People believe he has every intention of sticking with #10, but that is purely speculation. None of his answers have actually confirmed this. Until that time, it’s impossible to say for sure. However, longtime Bears insider Dan Pompei put himself in the GM’s shoes.
His vision not only involved a change taking place but even a name.
“I kept going back to the tape of Teddy Bridgewater. I was mesmerized by it, mesmerized by him. He went 5-0 as a starter for the Saints when Drew Brees was injured earlier this year, and he looked so much better than Mitch ever has looked.
There probably will not be a Teddy Bridgewater available in 2021, and even if there were it might be too late for me to do anything about it.
It would take an outrageous contract to sign him. I thought about paying a quarterback more than $25 million a year, and what that would do to the salary cap and the cash budget, and the sacrifices that would have to be made at other positions.
I considered the spotty history of promising quarterbacks who have changed teams. I thought about Jay Cutler, Mike Glennon and Nick Foles.
But I also remembered 2006, when I was part of the New Orleans front office that signed Brees. And then I thought about Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins.
I called Teddy’s agent, and we quickly agreed on the framework of a contract.”
Ryan Pace is not dumb. He knows his back is to the wall
Pace is a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. The guy understands the business of football. Now with just one winning season in five years, it’s fairly certain that his job will be on the line next year. He has to win or the organization will begin their search for a replacement. That leaves a simple question on the table for him to ponder.
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Does he honestly trust Trubisky can get him there?
Yes, the quarterback got to the playoffs in 2018, but that was thanks in large part to a #1 ranked defense and steady running game. It really does appear like Trubisky can’t function at a decent level unless everything around him is near-perfect. Hence why many are calling for a change. There has to be somebody who doesn’t require such parameters to have success.
Is Bridgewater that guy? The former 1st round pick did have some success in Minnesota prior to his devastating knee injury in 2016. Then he obviously functioned quite well for the Saints earlier this year. His price tag would be expensive, but the other options open to the Bears don’t exactly look appealing. If Pace wants to make a splash and send a message he wants to win, that is the move to make.
