Mike Glennon had a chance to etch his name in Chicago Bears lore with a strong performance against the Green Bay Packers last Thursday, which could have silenced some calls for rookie Mitch Trubisky to take his job. And while Glennon did put his imprint on the storied rivalry, it wasn’t in a way he would have liked.
Glennon had a hand in four costly turnovers in a 35-14 shellacking at the hands of the Packers in front of a prime-time audience at Lambeau Field. After the game, Glennon delivered an accurate self-evaluation:
#Bears QB Mike Glennon: "I'm not giving our team a chance when you turn the ball over like that."
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) September 29, 2017
Four days later, the team confirmed Trubisky would start Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.
As for Glennon’s self-assessment, he’s not wrong. His decision-making and execution led to the growing pile of turnovers and became indefensible. Consider that in the last three games alone, Glennon has turned the ball over eight times (4.1% turnover rate). And if that doesn’t feel like a big number, also consider that Jay Cutler turned it over in just 2.2 percent of his snaps in his last four seasons with the Bears. Yeah … yikes.
Sure, Glennon’s struggles came in a much smaller sample size, but turning the ball over at double the rate of Cutler is the kind of thing that will get any quarterback demoted.
So, what’s next for the Bears’ former starting quarterback?
The short-term answer is he’ll likely assume backup duties with Mark Sanchez remaining as the team’s No. 3 quarterback. Based on his production and his constant reliance on check-down throws, it’s apparent Glennon could use some more time learning Dowell Loggains’ offense. Perhaps he could run the scout team as Trubisky did and prepare with a different perspective.
As for the big picture, Glennon can be easily released upon the conclusion of the 2017 season. Cutting Glennon would save the Bears more than $11 million on the cap and bring just a hit of $4.5 million in dead money. In total, Glennon will have made $18.5 million in guarantees. However, Adam Caplan of NFL Network reports the Bears could save up to $2.5 million if Glennon signs with another team because of an offset clause in his contract.
The Bears could also trade Glennon. But after watching him struggle through four weeks, it’s difficult to imagine another team finding value in Glennon at this time.
There’s no denying the Bears’ plans with Glennon backfired in the worst possible way. The front office attempted to be creative in putting together a brand new quarterbacks room that featured youth (Trubisky), experience (Sanchez), and a lottery ticket (Glennon). The Glennon experience, albeit a short-lived one, serves as a reminder sometimes lottery tickets just don’t pay out.