The Chicago Bears are rolling with Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles this season. However, what is their status beyond 2020? Ask around a few times and most believe neither guy will be the option in 2021. Trubisky will be a free agent. Foles will have the option of leaving if he wishes. Even if he doesn’t, that doesn’t guarantee him the starting job.
It’s possible the team could go searching for a new option. All eyes are pointed towards the 2021 draft. Not a surprise. Early signs indicate it should be an intriguing class led by a three-headed monster of Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Justin Fields of Ohio State, and Trey Lance of North Dakota State. However, there is no guarantee the Bears will be in a position to get one of them.
So if the draft isn’t an option, could they look to the trade market again?
One option that should offer some intrigue is Gardner Minshew. Initially, it seemed like the Jacksonville Jaguars were ready to ride the second-year QB into the future. Yet the moves they’ve made lately suggest they might be more interested in a different outcome. Basically tanking for the #1 pick next year and securing Lawrence. Former GM Mike Tannenbaum laid it out on ESPN Get Up.
“There’s a lot of speculation that Dabo Swinney, who’s been on the short list of multiple head coaching searches, could be a coach that teams want to talk about. This would be the perfect storm and here’s why. He’s immensely popular in that area of the country and if he can go with Trevor Lawrence right down the road to Jacksonville, with all those picks and cap room, that’s the ideal situation.
I know from talking to a number of NFL general managers, they see Dabo in the same mold as Pete Carroll. A high energy guy. Pete Carroll has been a coach in the college and the pros. If Dabo Swinney was going to do it, and that’s a big if, this would be the perfect situation…If Swinney would ever go, this would be the perfect storm to do it with, following this season.”
Like Foles, Gardner Minshew has ties to the Chicago Bears
This isn’t just random speculation. There are a few reasons to think Minshew would interest the Bears if he were to become available. First is his connections to the coaching staff. John DeFilippo, their new quarterbacks coach, was Minshew’s offensive coordinator in 2019. The rookie threw for over 3,200 yards, 21 TDs, and just six interceptions while going 6-6 as a starter. He looked calm, poised, and efficient beyond his years.
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Then there is the other nugget to remember. Minshew revealed a few months ago that two teams showed the most interest in him before the draft. One was Jacksonville. The other? Chicago. So the Bears clearly liked him before his NFL arrival. Now that they’ve seen he can actually play at this level? That might be plenty of incentive for them to make a deal for him.
