What hasn’t been made clear about the Chicago Bears offseason plans is how much power GM Ryan Pace actually has. It seems rather obvious that the man is on the hot seat. Just one winning season since he took over in 2015. At the heart of this failure is his misfires at quarterback. Most notably Mitch Trubisky in 2017. GMs don’t usually survive such a massive mistake. Pace should consider himself lucky.
Here’s the thing though. Are George McCaskey and Bears ownership prepared to give him a full green light at going after another one? Even if it meant giving up a potentially massive trade package? This is the great unknown. There have been rumblings over the past month that McCaskey has put a leash on Pace to a certain extent. No crazy trades for unproven commodities. For example, a big offer for Russell Wilson is fine. A huge jump up from #20? Not as fine.
It wouldn’t make sense.
Giving up more future high picks for what could be the 4th or even 5th quarterback on the board? That screams reach. Yet the hard reality is the Bears need answers at quarterback. Andy Dalton is a good guy and a capable enough placeholder. He’s not the future though. They signed him to a one-year deal for a reason. His primary job is to help this team win in 2021.
Head coach Matt Nagy is a factor in this too. He still hasn’t been able to draft somebody at that position yet in his tenure. He inherited Mitch Trubisky. That didn’t work. The team traded for Nick Foles in hopes of providing competition. Now comes Dalton. One has to imagine he’d like to take a shot at a quarterback of his personal choosing. It seems ownership might be coming around to letting him have that chance. At least according to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog.
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By the way, I no longer believe this. https://t.co/tSN3NYg5mw
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) April 8, 2021
Rumors keep building the Chicago Bears are eyeing a jump
Remember that Hughes is pretty well-connected when it comes to the Bears. He didn’t post that by accident. SM was also informed last week that the team was in contact with the Denver Broncos about the 9th overall pick. It’s fair to think they aren’t the only ones Pace has called. It is clear enough the Bears brass are getting a gauge on the various price tags for moving up. As to who their target might be? The name that surfaced recently was Justin Fields of Ohio State. A supremely talented player whose draft stock appears in flux at the moment. There could be another they’re watching as well.
The reality is the Chicago Bears are at the mercy of the board. All that is known right now is three quarterbacks will be gone by the time Atlanta goes on the clock at #4. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson will be two of the picks. Then it will come down to Fields, Trey Lance, or Mac Jones at #3 to San Francisco. From there, it’ll be fascinating to see if Atlanta takes one of them or if somebody else moves into their spot to get one.
If not, that is when things get interesting.
Don’t expect the Bears to jump that high. The price would be astronomical. However, if one or even both of the remaining QBs slip to the bottom of the top 10? Start watching those television screens carefully. It’s apparent this regime knows they need a quarterback. They need a splash. Something to get the fans excited about the team. This might be their only option.