The Chicago Bears know the situation they’re in. Their fate balances on a knife-edge. After another 8-8 season and another early playoff exit, it feels like this will go one of two ways. Either they find a way to tweak the roster enough to finally make that deep playoff run or they flop in 2021, everybody gets fired, and they start over. This is why the pursuit of a quarterback is central to their plans and Russell Wilson is the name everybody is watching.
The 32-year old listed Chicago as one of four destinations he’d play for if traded by the Seahawks a couple of weeks ago. Since then, things have been silent in Seattle. The organization hasn’t clarified its stance on the quarterback publicly. This has led to increasing belief they are actually open to trading him. Multiple insiders continue to say the situation is bad.
Now it appears the Bears are confident enough to step up their pursuit.
According to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, the talks between the two teams escalated somewhere in the past 36 hours. Enough to where GM Ryan Pace made a formal offer to Seattle for Wilson. Details on what the offer is remains unknown but one can surmise it’s likely massive. The sticking point for Seattle isn’t the cap hit or getting a QB in return. It is whether they can stomach what will obviously be a franchise-altering move.
Good morning twitter. Offer. pic.twitter.com/EEHzs0LEdl
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) March 12, 2021
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Albert Breer of the MMQB offered a further indication that all the signs were there that Chicago was preparing some kind of big swing at quarterback. From the willingness to keep Nick Foles as a placeholder to locking in Allen Robinson with the franchise tag. Not to mention Wilson’s interest in playing for Chicago.
“I personally think Wilson would be worth the freight as an organizational decision, regardless of who might or might not be in charge next year.
Also, my belief is that Wilson likes the Bears because of the sort of platform a historic franchise located in the nation’s third-largest market would give him.
As for Allen Robinson, the writing was on the wall for this one. If you’re planning a big swing at quarterback—and the team being patient with Nick Foles as a placeholder is a good indication Chicago is sizing up such a swing—it makes no sense to let one of the league’s best receivers, who’s still just 27, walk.”
Russell Wilson situation has reached a point of no return
Both sides have made their power play. Wilson wants more say in the direction of the franchise from scheme to personnel. The Seahawks said no. Now they’re locked in a staring contest. If Wilson stands down, he loses any sway he has in the organization. If the Seahawks give in to his demands, they look weak. Given the egos involved, it’s difficult to see either possibility happening.
That isn’t to say it won’t. There is still a chance this ends in a truce and Russell Wilson plays another year in Seattle. It just doesn’t feel like it is going in that direction. Quite the opposite. Wilson isn’t happy there and the Seahawks are tired of all the drama. With nobody there to play mediator, nothing is stopping the train from running away.
This is why the Bears are confident they can land him.
They need a quarterback. They’re willing to pay the price. Wilson likes the idea of playing in Chicago. Everything appears to be lining up. It’s a matter of Seattle saying yes. They haven’t gotten there yet. It isn’t an easy decision. The current regime knows they will go down in history at the ones who traded Russell Wilson. Not exactly a badge anybody would want to wear. Yet this is how far things have fallen.