Brad Biggs: GM Ryan Pace will exhaust every QB possibility, but what if Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson aren’t available? 7 other possible options for the Chicago Bears.
If Russell Wilson indicates he’s willing to play for the Chicago Bears, George McCaskey doesn’t need to tell general manager Ryan Pace to exhaust every possible scenario for a deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
Wilson’s agent indicated to ESPN’s Adam Schefter the Bears were among four teams to which the star quarterback would consider approving a trade, something he controls with a no-trade clause in his contract. Wilson has not asked to be traded, and logic dictates that even if his relationship with the team is frayed, the Seahawks are unlikely to ship him out.
With two teams on Wilson’s list seemingly ruled out — the Dallas Cowboys are expected to stay the course with Dak Prescott, and the New Orleans Saints are buried under the salary cap — odds look better for the Bears if — make that IF — Wilson and the Seahawks move toward a divorce after nine seasons in Seattle.
The Las Vegas Raiders are the fourth team, and they’ve reaffirmed their faith in Derek Carr. The Raiders also might prefer to keep the massive draft capital that would be necessary to pry Wilson loose from the Seahawks to invest in a defense that ranked 25th overall and 30th in points allowed last season.
Wilson’s agent listing the Bears as a possibility is the team’s greatest development this offseason, and the hope at Halas Hall is that revelation won’t remain the highlight. It’s why everyone, from folks around the league to fans alike, has assessed whether you can realistically connect the dots between Wilson and the Bears with the new league year scheduled to open March 17.
Consider three factors when wondering if Pace would shoot for the moon:
— Pace has a history of bold moves, and nothing would be more over the top than finding a way to obtain a 32-year-old quarterback who has been named to the Pro Bowl seven times.
— The Bears believe they have a playoff-ready defense in place with promising young players emerging on offense. The window to compete for a championship, which they lifted when trading for outside linebacker Khalil Mack just before the 2018 season, is still cracked open.
— Pace and coach Matt Nagy are under pressure to compete this season with Nick Foles the lone quarterback currently under contract.
Add up the clues and you have to figure the Bears would be in on Wilson until they get him or they are told no.
What separates the Wilson possibility from talk of Deshaun Watson is no one has placed the Bears on a list of teams Watson, who also has a no-trade clause in his contract, would accept. Perhaps it’s a destination he might consider, but that hasn’t happened and the Houston Texans aren’t even taking calls on their disgruntled quarterback. Of course, Pace should call until his Texans counterpart, Nick Caserio, answers or returns a message.
The Bears would be short on draft capital from now until who knows when if they traded for Wilson, and they might have to part with some key players as well, complicating efforts to build the roster in other areas. But that would be a good problem to have if they could solve their seven-decade odyssey to replace Sid Luckman.
Before Bears fans get too dreamy, it’s hard to come up with motivating factors for the Seahawks to do this. Absent a clear opportunity to replace Wilson with a high-caliber quarterback who would maintain the team’s perennial contender status, why consider it if you’re coach Pete Carroll? The Seahawks are missing first- and third-round picks this year and their 2022 first-round pick, and it’s unlikely getting the No. 20 pick and even a second-round pick from the Bears this year would give the Seahawks the necessary ammunition to make a move for one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.
For the sake of discussion — and the Bears are certainly covering all of their bases — let’s say Pace performs due diligence and talks to Seahawks GM John Schneider regularly until he’s told “no, thanks.” Let’s say he determines acquiring Watson is impossible. Then what?
It’s time to pivot to Plan C, D or E — and hope that Foles as the Week 1 starter is somewhere around Plan J.
Here are some of those potential options.
1. Jameis Winston
Conventional thinking has been that Winston, the No. 1 pick in 2016, will re-sign with the Saints. But Winston is slated to be an unrestricted free agent, and there’s growing intrigue as Drew Brees has yet to retire. Is it possible the 42-year-old Brees watched 43-year-old Tom Brady win the Super Bowl and is considering another shot at a second title? If Brees returns, Winston could be in demand, and surely teams would be interested in him. He has plenty of movement skills and the arm to make every throw. He’s nuanced in the pocket and has shown the ability to be an accurate passer. He can be loose with the football at times and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a propensity to force too many throws into tight windows. You have to figure a year spent with Saints coach Sean Payton and Brees benefited him. If Winston isn’t starting for the Saints, he will be starting somewhere, and the Bears could do much worse. It’s worth checking in on him even if the Saints are trying to re-sign him.
2. Ryan Fitzpatrick
John Clayton reported the 39-year-old Fitzpatrick is leaning toward retirement, but like Brees, he’s not done until he says he’s done. Fitzpatrick, who will be a free agent, has a big arm and is an aggressive player. On his hot streaks, he looks like one of the better passers in the league. During his cold streaks, you wonder why he’s on the field. Fitzpatrick moves well and is going to battle instead of checking down time and again.
3. Marcus Mariota
Many believe the Raiders will cut ties with Mariota to clear salary-cap space. He doesn’t have elite arm talent but he has a smooth, compact release, and the Bears were high on him when he came out of Oregon in 2016. He has good movement traits but he is narrow-framed and would come with durability concerns. He’s a timing and rhythm thrower who doesn’t always anticipate as well as he needs to. That was an issue with Mitch Trubisky, but Mariota has better mechanics in the pocket. If the Bears signed him after he’s cut, they could keep their draft capital to fortify other positions.
4. Jimmy Garoppolo
The Eastern Illinois product has missed 23 games over the last three seasons, so wherever he is, there will be questions about his ability to stay on the field. He doesn’t have a big-time arm but does a nice job of anticipating windows and has a quick release. The San Francisco 49ers would have to trade him, and the New England Patriots are reportedly interested in their former draft pick.
5. Gardner Minshew
It’s a foregone conclusion the Jacksonville Jaguars will use the No. 1 pick on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and that ought to make Minshew available for a mid-round draft pick. He plays with confidence and there is a creative element to his game. At times he looked promising for the Jaguars, but he also struggled. Their roster has been a total mess, the offensive line was terrible and it’s possible Minshew turns into a nice fit in a West Coast offense. This wouldn’t be a top option, but if you’re looking for upside, Minshew might be the guy.
6. Andy Dalton
What’s bothersome about Dalton is he wasn’t better during extended playing time with the Cowboys last season with a lot of skill-position talent around him. He has seen everything you can imagine but would be the definition of a bridge quarterback, and if the Bears wanted Foles over Dalton at this time a year ago, why would they go for Dalton in free agency this time around?
7. Sam Darnold
The Bears would be betting on the possibility of unlocking Darnold’s talent if they traded for him with the New York Jets, but that seems risky with Pace and Nagy under pressure to win this season. The process of a new environment helping Darnold wouldn’t happen overnight. Plus, the Jets will not want to trade him on the cheap.
While the connections Nagy has with free agent Alex Smith make that a possibility some have wondered about, Washington is in the same boat as the Bears with a good defense and a giant question mark at quarterback. If Smith, who returned last season from a gruesome 2018 injury to his right leg, wasn’t good enough to stick in Washington, could he really be a savior for the Bears? After 17 surgeries on his leg, he lacked the ability to drive the ball downfield last season, when he was the runaway winner of the Comeback Player of the Year award.
Free agency arrives next week, and the Bears will be busy in the interim clearing salary-cap space and gearing up for opportunities to upgrade the roster. There isn’t a clear answer for the quarterback question right now, and that could remain the case on the morning of March 17 as the league prepares for a flurry of business.
Nagy said there are “several” options he’s confident in as the Bears and many other teams jockey for quarterbacks. There are two options that would instantly energize and legitimize the Bears — and then a cast of possibilities that would lead you to wonder if they might draft a quarterback in Round 1.
