The Chicago Bears need to find a quarterback. Yes, they have other business this offseason but it won’t matter if they can’t find somebody to fill that position. Expectations are GM Ryan Pace will be aggressive over the next few months trying to solve this problem. Something he’s failed to do in his previous three attempts. Mike Glennon? Nope. Mitch Trubisky? Sorry. Nick Foles? Too late. Pace needs a hit in the worst way.
It looks like the 2021 market will at least have some interesting options. Deshaun Watson is the big fish everybody is talking about. Dak Prescott will be a free agent unless the Dallas Cowboys either extend or tag him. Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, and Derek Carr are surrounded by trade rumors. Do the Bears have a serious chance at any of them?
Not likely. Both due to a lack of resources and other circumstances.
Watson will cost an astronomical amount of draft picks. Prescott isn’t likely to leave Dallas. Stafford won’t be traded to a division rival. Ryan will cost over $40 million in cap space. Carr is the most affordable but he was surrounded by trade smoke all of the last offseason and wasn’t dealt. Now he’s coming off his best season. That just doesn’t seem like something Las Vegas will do.
The truth is the Bears may have to scour the cheaper veteran market and hope they get lucky. Names like Jimmy Garoppolo, Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton, and Tyrod Taylor will all be in play. However, there is one other name that fans should keep a close eye on. Somebody who actually has ties to the organization that they may seriously consider.
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That being Gardner Minshew.
Chicago Bears know a lot about Minshew
For starters, they were one of the teams who expressed the most interest in him coming out of Washington State. He revealed in an interview last season that he had a great meeting with them prior to the draft. He really seemed to hit it off with head coach Matt Nagy. In the end, the Jacksonville Jaguars ended up being the team that drafted him.
Here is @GardnerMinshew5 – Met with two teams at the combine. The #Bears were one of them. pic.twitter.com/Ztl0Xd4zoI
— Mark Carman (@thecarm) January 29, 2020
Then there is the connection to quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo. He was the offensive coordinator for Jacksonville that first year. Minshew ended up having a strong rookie season, throwing 21 touchdown passes and just six interceptions in 12 games. This offers clear evidence the coach understands what the QB can do well.
Finally is maybe the most important factor. Price.
The Jaguars are going to draft Trevor Lawrence 1st overall in April barring something totally unexpected. They have no further use for Minshew outside of being a backup. The guy has 21 games of starting experience and two years left on his rookie contract. He likely won’t cost more than a late round pick to acquire. He turns 25 this year so he’s plenty young.
People like to rag on the guy for not being any good. In reality, he’s posted a 93.1 passer rating across 20 games with 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions despite playing for frankly a terrible football team. He’s not the biggest or the fastest and doesn’t have a huge arm. What he does have is accuracy, intelligence, and by all accounts a boatload of charisma.
Nobody is saying Minshew is the ideal scenario for the Chicago Bears. He isn’t. Still, people should not dismiss the possibility that he will end up being a target for them this offseason.