The Chicago Bears fanbase was begging for some sort of news on the quarterback front. Well, they got their wish. Adam Schefter of ESPN dropped a bombshell on Thursday when he was told that All-Pro quarterback Russell Wilson was not only open to being traded. He even had specific teams in mind. One of them being the Bears.
Needless to say, it caught the entire NFL world by surprise.
Reports have surfaced in recent weeks that all is not well up in Seattle. Tensions have risen steadily between Wilson and the Seahawks for some time now. The quarterback is frustrated with their approach to the offense from their run-first obsession to the unwillingness to invest more in his offensive protection. Despite never missing a game in his career, Wilson has been sacked 394 times since being drafted.
Tom Brady has been sacked 521 times despite playing 167 more games.
It’s obvious the 32-year old wants to have a long career. He wants to make his mark on professional football. Be an all-time great. That isn’t going to happen if he keeps taking hits at the rate he has. This is why he’s pushing for changes in Seattle. Thus far the organization has brushed him off. So here we are. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, belief is Wilson’s preferred list of teams is even smaller than reported.
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One source said Wilson will not be interested in joining the beginning stages of a rebuild with the Jets and is not interested in the Dolphins because of the feeling that the location can be a distraction for players. The source went on to say the three teams he would keep a close eye on if the gap between Wilson and the Seahawks were to grow are the Bears, Cowboys and Raiders, in no particular order.
A lot of people still can’t understand why Chicago would be a choice. They have two guys running the team who are on the hot seat. Their offensive line struggled last season. Their best offensive weapon is about to be a free agent. What could be driving his eye to them? It comes down to seeing an opportunity.
The appeal of the Bears for Wilson is that Chicago would be a huge media market for his wife, Ciara, and the Bears have a playoff-ready defense.
“He’d want to go to a place like (Chicago) figuring he could get a couple players to come with him and then do what Tom Brady did in Tampa — win a Super Bowl,” the source said.
Russell Wilson wants to build his legacy
Despite doing some incredible things in Seattle over the years, he still doesn’t get near the same amount of love and attention as guys like Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, or even Lamar Jackson. Being isolated in the Pacific Northwest can have that effect. While a big city, Seattle isn’t known for being a prominent hub of sports media. The Mariners are a joke. The Supersonics left town long ago. Chicago? It is easily one of the biggest and best in the country. If you thrive there, you become a sports god.
Try to imagine what would happen if Russell Wilson came to Chicago and led the Bears to a championship. He’d suddenly be revered as one of the best of his generation. Somebody who accomplished a task nobody has in almost four decades. Never mind solidifying a position that has seen rampant mediocrity since the 1950s. The man would be the king of this city for the rest of his life.
Wilson is a competitor. Stuff like that matters to him.
He has a ring and his money already. Now it’s about carving his name in NFL history. If Seattle isn’t going to let him be the best possible player he can be, then he’s more than willing to find another organization that would. Chicago is thirsty for a quarterback. They’d be more than willing to give him as much sway as necessary to make him happy. The Bears would suddenly become a hot destination for free agents too. There is plenty of logic to it.