Near-misses at quarterback are a theme with the Chicago Bears over the years. People always talk about the misfires like Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, and Cade McNown. Yet an even tougher conversation is the ones they could’ve had if they’d been smarter. Joe Montana in 1979. Aaron Rodgers in 2005. Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in 2017. People often forget they also had a shot at Russell Wilson too.

Two shots in fact. The Wisconsin quarterback ended up going in the 3rd round of the 2012 draft that year. Chicago’s first two picks? Shea McClellin and Alshon Jeffery. An outright bust and a good receiver early on who became a health liability. Looking back, Bears fans would gladly hand over both of them for Wilson. What’s often forgotten though is one person inside Halas Hall knew what the team would be missing out on.

That was offensive coordinator Mike Tice.

He had inside information on the future All-Pro from the jump. His son Nate Tice was a quarterback at Wisconsin as well. He was a backup in 2011 when Wilson transferred there from N.C. State. He saw what the guy was becoming. His father heard all the details from him and also watched plenty of games too. According to Badgers former head coach Barry Alvarez, Tice did everything he could to convince Bears brass to take him.

“Mike believed in him and said he was trying to build a case for him in Chicago. He was saying he was trying to give him more value on our draft board, saying he could play Wildcat quarterback for you, or be a wing back…

… (He) told anybody that would listen that they’d be foolish if they [didn’t] take him and take him high in the draft. I felt so strongly about him because I watched him that whole year and he did everything right.”

Sadly, the timing was bad. Chicago had just switched GMs from Jerry Angelo to Phil Emery. It was apparent the team wasn’t ready to give up on Jay Cutler as their quarterback at that point in time. To them, it likely made no sense to draft a quarterback so high when they had a ton of work to do trying to build around the guy they already had. Thus Wilson slipped away to Seattle.

Now the Bears have a second chance at Russell Wilson

Something that almost never happens in the NFL. Especially when a player is still in his prime. Most people should know the situation by now. Wilson is angry with the Seattle Seahawks over their refusal to let him be more involved in personnel and schematic decisions. They don’t invest enough in the offensive line and still prefer a run-first-style offense. Two things he feels continue to limit his full potential.

So in response, he and his agent took his plight to the media. Not only did he vocalize his frustrations, he’s even provided a list of teams he’d be open to joining via trade. The Bears, much to the shock of everybody, is one of them. It almost seems like a serendipitous twist of fate. Like Mike Tice’s pleas finally being answered nearly a decade later.

This time the Bears have no intention of wasting their chance.

Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy need a quarterback desperately. They understand who Russell Wilson is and what he could mean for this franchise. That means any price short of gutting the entire roster is on the table to make this deal happen. He is worth it. Franchise quarterbacks are hard to find. Wilson is one. No matter how small the chances, the Bears need to make it happen.