One would think whatever happens regarding the business of another football team has no bearing on what the Chicago Bears do. However, that’s not how things work in the NFL. Every decision made can have a butterfly effect across the league. Especially when it comes to the quarterback position. No team right now could end up causing significant waves more than the New Orleans Saints and that is courtesy of their QB issues.
All three of their guys on the roster are free agents. Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater are both unrestricted. Taysom Hill is restricted. This leaves the Saints with some interesting decisions to make. Plenty of people have their theories about what will happen. Many think Brees will return while Bridgewater looks to become a starter elsewhere. A few think Bridgewater gets the nod and New Orleans finally ends the Brees era.
One executive though told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN to expect the unexpected.
As a restricted free agent, Hill would cost a maximum of $4.667 million for a first-round tender, according to projections from Over The Cap.
“Wouldn’t come as a total shock to see Sean Payton move forward with Taysom Hill as the starting QB,” one NFC exec said. “Sean always has been intrigued by athletic quarterbacks and how to utilize them. Taysom is a talented guy.”
With Brees still among the league’s best, and free agent Teddy Bridgewater going 5-0 as a fill-in starter, this move would be a wild bet on untapped potential — and also a nod to where the game is going.
Chicago Bears QB options would swell if this happened
It sounds crazy, but then again Sean Payton has never been a coach who does things by the book. Brees is in his 40s and didn’t look like his old self in the playoffs. Bridgewater did a great job helping the team stay on track during the season but some view him as little more than a game manager. Hill has proven throughout the past couple of years that he is a legitimate threat whenever he touches the ball, be it as a runner or a passer.
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If this actually happened, then GM Ryan Pace would be given an unexpected opportunity. He’s always been a huge fan of Brees going back to his time with the Saints as a scout and personnel director. Would the idea of adding the future Hall of Famer to the Bears offense be enough to abandon the Mitch Trubisky ship? This is a question that will absolutely be on the table if the exec’s prediction comes to pass. To say nothing of Brees’ presence on the market actually lowering Bridgewater’s value.
