It’s interesting how so many people were eager to connect the Chicago Bears to Carson Wentz this offseason once his name became available. An easy leap to make. John DeFilippo was his quarterbacks coach. Ryan Pace liked him coming out of the 2016 NFL draft. Plenty of reasons to think the Bears would be interested. Yet nobody is talking about another former #2 overall pick who fits the same criteria. That is Marcus Mariota.
A lot of people forget before Wentz, he was the QB Pace had his eye on the prior year in 2015. Reports said the GM wanted him. Not only did he admit he’d consider taking him at #7 overall but there were rumblings he tried to trade up to get him. When it became clear the Tennessee Titans weren’t budging from #2 overall, the Bears went in another direction.
Then there is Matt Nagy.
The Bears head coach knows Mariota well and what the QB is capable of. When he was offensive coordinator, he watched him execute an 18-point comeback in the playoffs to stun the Chiefs in Kansas City. Mariota threw two TDs in the second half including the game-winner with six minutes to play. That memory no doubt has stuck with the coach since then.
Last but not least, the Bears do have a coaching connection to the quarterback. That being Deshea Townsend. The secondary coach was an assistant in Tennessee for two seasons in 2016 and 2017. Fittingly the best and worst seasons of Mariota’s career. So he can provide plenty of insight on what went right (and wrong) during those stretches.
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Now Marcus Mariota could be available for trade
Why would this be appealing to the Bears? Aside from the connections already mentioned, there is the matter of price. The Las Vegas Raiders will likely demand a 3rd round pick or something similar in return for the 27-year old. Mariota has one year left on the two-year deal he signed last offseason. A year that would cost $11.35 million. Compared to what it would cost to secure Wentz? That is chump change.
The question Chicago Bears fans will have is obvious. If the team were so interested in him, why in the world didn’t they sign him last offseason when he was a free agent? This has a pretty easy answer. The Bears planned to keep Mitch Trubisky last season. Trubisky and Mariota share the same agent. The odds of an agent urging two of his clients at the same position to compete for the same job was never going to happen.
Now that Trubisky is gone, this is no longer a problem.
Marcus Mariota in many ways is similar to Wentz. In fact, he’s a year younger. He has plenty of starting experience. He’s tall, athletic, and has a good arm. Unlike Wentz, he would come relatively cheap and has actually won a playoff game. Is Mariota their top target? No. Nor should he be. That said, if the Bears end up striking out on some of their preferred options, don’t be surprised if they end up making a push to get him.