The way things have gone over the past few days, it feels like the Chicago Bears pursuit of a veteran option at quarterback has narrowed to two names. One is Andy Dalton, who is on the outs in Cincinnati with the Bengals about to draft Joe Burrow. The other is Derek Carr, who is heavily rumored to be available via the Las Vegas Raiders. Jon Gruden wants a new quarterback and appears to have his sights set on more proven veterans.
Particularly Tom Brady.
Vic Tafur, the Raiders beat writer for The Athletic, has kept close to this situation for the past two months. His assessment is simple. The Raiders haven’t actively shopped Carr to other teams, but they aren’t shutting down the idea of trading him. Their interest in Brady and Philip Rivers among others is real. Tafur believes if they do pull the trigger on a Carr trade, it will be sometime before March 18th when free agency begins.
He even has a likely price tag in mind.
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“That would also help teams like the Raiders, who would prefer to trade Carr before free agency for maximum value. The Raiders are not shopping Carr, but they have placed him in the window with a pretty display. I think a second-round pick gets it done.”
Bears are rumored to be interested in Derek Carr
Benjamin Allbright reported a few days ago that the Bears were in the market for a veteran QB and Carr was on their shortlist of options. It’s not hard to see why they’d have interest. He’s 29-years old and a three-time Pro Bowler who has finished with over 4,000 yards each of the past two seasons. His big arm would fit perfectly in Matt Nagy’s offense and could handle the windy conditions of Soldier Field.
His contract is also favorable in their minds. While expensive compared to Trubisky at $21.167 million per year, it’s peanuts compared to what other top quarterbacks will be making in short order. Not only that, but the contract is in place through 2022. So the Bears would control Carr on an affordable deal during that time, right as the salary cap is projected to spike with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
So not only does it make sense from a scheme fit standpoint, but it makes business sense as well. With two 2nd round picks at their disposal, the Bears have good reason to consider this deal if it’s there.
