NEWSLETTER
My friend Jim has a cookbook coming out. You might be familiar with some of recipes I’ve shared here previously. And if you like those, or are interested in diving into some good food, I’d highly recommend purchasing The Food Good Cookbook.
• Carson Wentz will be a Colt. And it turns out the Bears never even made an offer. What a wild ride this has been.
The Bears Never Even Made an Offer for Carson Wentzhttps://t.co/YgCyJZVBIa
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) February 18, 2021
• On one the hand, I’m glad the Bears didn’t overpay to roll the dice on the Wentz reclamation project. The ceiling is high, to be sure. But he was more likely to reach that with the Colts. But on the other hand, another high-upside quarterback is off the board with Wentz going to Indy.
• Here’s another way to look at it from the Bears’ perspective: Wentz going to the Colts for a 2021 third-rounder
and a conditional second-round pick in 2022 serves as a market correction of sorts. Or to put it another way, it provides another trade comp after the Matthew Stafford deal set such a high bar. So in a way, this works in Ryan Pace’s favor should he opt to continue working the trade market.
• Be honest, how would you felt about this contract moving forward:
Here's what Indy will owe Carson Wentz:
2021: $10M Roster bonus, $15.4M salary (guaranteed), $25.4M cap hit
2022: $22M salary ($15M guaranteed), $1K roster bonus, $22M cap hit
2023: $20M salary, $5M roster bonus, $25M cap hit
2024: $21M salary, $5M roster bonus, $26M cap hit
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 18, 2021
• Did the Colts save the Bears from themselves? That’s a fair question to ask today.
• If Wentz plays like he did from 2017-19, no one will blink at the cap hits. But if 2020 is the first stop on the regression train? Yikes. Then again, the Colts’ acquisition is as much of a bet on Wentz bouncing back as it is a vote of confidence in Frank Reich and his coaching ability. It almost makes me wonder how lucky Indianapolis is to have had Josh McDaniels leave them at the altar.
• Wowzers:
And with the trade of Carson Wentz, there will now not be a single QB drafted in the first round from 2009-2016 that is still with his original team.
0 out of 22 total.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 18, 2021
• All things considered, the Bears handled this situation as best they could. Some might even suggest better than expected. Let’s face it, we all feared (at one point) getting a push notification that Chicago was sending multiple first-round picks to Philadelphia for Wentz.
• Kudos to Ryan Pace for standing his ground and not budging. This isn’t an easy time to be searching for a quarterback. But it doesn’t matter if you make an early move if it’s not the right one. Keep that perspective in mind as we continue to embark on this journey.
• While quarterbacks are on our mind, I can’t believe there’s someone who doesn’t have Trevor Lawrence as their QB1. Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports gives June Jones the floor:
One former NFL head coach says Trevor Lawrence is not his favorite QB prospect in the 2021 NFL draft.
In fact, he has him QB3.
And you might be shocked who he has as his top-ranked QB prospect …https://t.co/iuPin0beqo
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) February 17, 2021
• Don’t you even think about it…
Tim Tebow’s Baseball Career is Over – https://t.co/tI8CPzPQOy pic.twitter.com/w5ZQ9E1f52
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) February 18, 2021
• Tim Tebow doesn’t make Brad Gagnon’s list of most overrated players heading into free agency. HOWEVER, there are several players with major red flags here.
• Some love for Tarik Cohen:
From Harry Carson in the 1970s to Tarik Cohen in the 2010s, we pick the top players — one on offense, one on defense — from each decade since @MEACSports launched in 1971.https://t.co/oaS0IuSdHm
— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) February 18, 2021
• Jaylon Johnson is a good cover corner:
Most coverage snaps per reception allowed among rookie CBs:
1. Jaylon Johnson – 11.9 https://t.co/ULZAtMPPc3
— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) February 18, 2021
• I’m looking forward to digging into Sean Desai’s defense:
What's the backstory on .@ChicagoBears new Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai and what can we expect from Chicago's defense as he takes over?
My report from #NFLNow @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/5ZvGuWutan
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) February 17, 2021
• Love seeing the Bears give back to the community:
