While the focus is on 2020 for the Chicago Bears, there is never any hard in looking down the road and potential things they could do to improve their roster. Especially when it comes to the quarterback position. Will Mitch Trubisky survive into a second contract? Will Nick Foles be more than just a one-year rental? Answers to those questions won’t arrive until December.
That said, the Bears could opt for door #3. That being a different avenue at the position next offseason. The 2021 draft class is getting early buzz as one that has a lot of potential at the QB position. Headlined of course by Clemson star Trevor Lawrence. However, there could end up being one or two surprises on the veteran market. Specifically regarding trades.
One rumor that just doesn’t seem real centers on Russell Wilson.
The six-time Pro Bowl Seattle Seahawks quarterback had one of the best seasons of his career in 2019, leading his team back to the playoffs. However, that almost wasn’t the case. According to former quarterback Chris Simms, there is a rumor dating back to 2018 that suggests the Seahawks tried to trade their star QB to Cleveland for the #1 overall pick in the draft. A rumor that was soon backed up by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“As Simms said during the conversation, the Seahawks talked to the Browns about a potential trade that would have sent Wilson to Cleveland for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Browns contend that the idea was “floated” conceptually, but that the discussion did indeed happen. At the time, the Seahawks were staring at another extension for Wilson, one that would result a year later in a contract with a new-money value of $35 million per year. And the placement of a no-trade clause in the latest contract was indeed influenced by chatter regarding the potential trade to Cleveland, we’re told.
That said, some who are close enough to the situation to know what may happen believe that Wilson eventually will be traded.”
Chicago Bears should absolutely monitor this situation
It’s not clear what the Seahawks were thinking. Wilson is one of the top QBs in the league and likely will end up in the Hall of Fame. Why trade him? The only discernible answer is money. He was due an extension and was going to cost a massive amount to keep. Rather than pay that, it’s possible Seattle wanted to start fresh with a new, cheaper QB and perhaps use the #1 pick to rebuild the surrounding roster.
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For the Bears, this is absolutely something to be interested in. Wilson is a top NFL passer and hasn’t missed a game in his career. He would be the missing piece for this franchise despite being in his 30s. The question is when would trading him become logical.
The earliest is 2021. If Seattle traded him with a post-June 1st designation, they’d gain $19 million in cap space. Otherwise 2022 would be the time to circle on the calendar. The longer Seattle waits, the more his value is likely to drop. The Bears would obviously have to find a lot of cap space and be prepared to surrender a top draft pick, but this is the sort of player who is worth it.
