All of the talks around the Chicago Bears lately centers on Russell Wilson. The seven-time Pro Bowler made sure of that when he listed them as one of four teams he’d accept a trade to if the Seattle Seahawks decided to move on. Reports are the Bears are highly interested in the 32-year old and willing to meet the Seahawks’ asking price or something close to it. However, he might not be their endgame. At least not for George McCaskey.

Some interesting updates arrived via Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog. Hughes has proven to have some reliable sources in the past and they fed him some fascinating info. It seems the Bears are the team everybody is watching right now in regards to the quarterback market. The belief is they are all-in on Wilson but with one caveat. They will not fully commit to going after him until Deshaun Watson is completely out of the question. He is their ultimate target.

McCaskey is the one to thank for that.

“The other thing I was told this weekend, and this comes from a very reliable source, is that George McCaskey will give up anything for Deshaun Watson. He is not willing to depart with multiple 1st round picks down the road for lesser guys. But for Deshaun Watson, he is willing to give up just about anything. That’s where the Bears’ desires lie.”

This shouldn’t be a huge surprise. It’s no secret Watson isn’t long for his time with the Houston Texans. He wants out, having felt jerked around and disrespected by team ownership one too many times. It is merely a matter of when the Texans realize there is no saving the relationship. Something that hasn’t happened yet. Watson is 25-years old and in his prime. The Bears would be set at quarterback for the next decade if they landed him. So it makes sense that he is the guy McCaskey would want.

It also makes sense for them to wait. Everybody knows the Bears are the most desperate team out there. That means they’re willing to go further than most teams would to land a quarterback. This actually brings a sort of leverage. By keeping their “focus” on Wilson publicly, it puts pressure on Texans GM Nick Caserio to make a decision. Otherwise, he risks losing one of his biggest suitors for Watson.

Good morning, Twitter. Stay focused on RW, but don’t lose track of DW. pic.twitter.com/CEqk5hJX7x

— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) March 8, 2021

George McCaskey seems to have made his voice heard

There is also a bit of an undercurrent to what Hughes mentioned. Remember that line about multiple 1st round picks down the road? This would suggest the Bears chairman has set a limit to how overly aggressive GM Ryan Pace is allowed to be in pursuing quarterbacks. Giving up a 1st round pick in 2021 and 2022 seems like it’s the extent of how far they can go with most options out there. Only Watson is the guy who has such a safety valve removed.

People were wondering if ownership might put some kind of leash on Pace this offseason. It’s no secret he’s desperate to save his job. That has a lot of fans afraid he’d willingly sacrifice the team’s future just to avoid getting fired. It sounds like George McCaskey has at least set some restrictions. No blockbuster deals unless the target is worth it. That means Watson and maybe Wilson. Likely no massive jump up the draft board.

All things considered, this is a good thing.

The entire quarterback situation is fascinating. It’s obvious the Bears plan to be ultra-aggressive. What it comes down to is whether Seattle and Houston stop tiptoeing around their respective situations and get serious about making a deal. Don’t expect that to happen until closer to the draft. Neither team is anxious to unload their quarterback. So as much time as possible will be spent trying to see if the situations can be salvaged.

One thing is for sure. Expect a lot of bets to be placed on who the Chicago Bears will land at QB. If you’re interested in making some money on those odds, you need PointsBet. They’ve partnered with the organization and using the promo code Mockery nets you two risk-free bets for up to $2000,