The Chicago Bears really screwed themselves when they passed on Deshaun Watson back in the 2017 draft. That subject has been covered to death by this point. Everybody knows the story. GM Ryan Pace was dead set on Mitch Trubisky early in the process. So much that he didn’t even bother to meet with Watson in person. An oversight that continues to baffle analysts to this day.
Could the organization have a shot at redemption? It certainly feels that way based on what’s happening down in Houston lately. After a rough 4-12 season, the Texans cleaned house by firing head coach Bill O’Brien and most of their front office. Assurances were made to Watson that he’d be involved in the evaluation process for the next GM and head coach.
Things soon went off the rails.
Not only did Texans owner Cal McNair hire a search firm to find a new GM and then ignore their recommendations while hiring Nick Caserio. He also refused to even interview Watson’s personal choice for head coach in Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. These decisions apparently infuriated the quarterback to such a degree that he is not returning the calls of McNair or anybody else in the organization.
It’s gotten so bad that Chris Mortensen confirmed there is a real possibility that Watson could play hardball and pull to get himself traded out of Houston. If that happens, one can bet lots of teams will be involved in that sweepstakes. Including the Chicago Bears. The big question everybody has is what will it cost? Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk spoke to multiple GMs about it. They came around to a common number.
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“So how high will it go? Based on conversations with multiple General Managers, the loose consensus was three first-round draft picks. As one G.M. put it, if the first of the first-round picks lands in the top 10 of the 2021 draft, that would help get it done.”
Reports about Deshaun Watson's unhappiness with @HoustonTexans are accurate and sources close to the QB say he is still angry about team's insensitivity to social justice, including hiring practices, after the franchise failed to interview Chiefs OC Eric Bienemy this past week.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 10, 2021
Bears can’t offer the best package for Deshaun Watson
They can make the offer of three 1st rounders to be sure. That isn’t the issue. Where it becomes a problem for them is pick positioning. The lowest spot the Bears can expect for the 1st round this coming year is 20th overall. Far from the top 10 the Texans would be hoping for. Other teams are better positioned to get him. Mortensen pointed out the Miami Dolphins as a likely spot. They have the 3rd overall pick and also would throw Tua Tagovailoa into the deal.
So if the Bears wanted to get into the game, they’d either have to offer more than just three 1st round picks or something of high value like a player. Say a Roquan Smith who is 23 and playing like a star at inside linebacker. Is that too expensive? A lot of people would say so. Even if Watson is a franchise quarterback, it would be difficult to build around him without 1st round picks for the next three years.
To say nothing of the very expensive contract he’ll bring with him.
Deshaun Watson is 25-years old though. If kept healthy he can easily play for another 10 years. This would be viewed as a long-term move for the franchise. If the Bears are smart with their resources and do their best to build around him? They should be able to stay competitive in the division and with time produce a roster capable of competing for a championship. Would they do it? That is hard to know for sure given it’s not a guarantee GM Ryan Pace will be employed much longer.