I don’t have any delusions about whom Alex Smith can be as he enters his age 37 season. But I will also never doubt his ability to achieve whatever he puts his mind to in football – not after what he did to overcome that gruesome leg injury. That takes a special type of mental and intestinal fortitude. And to that end, maybe the Bears need some of that in their locker room.
After all, Smith is about to hit free agency:
https://twitter.com/AroundTheNFL/status/1366409764306096130
To be clear, Smith wouldn’t be Chicago’s first option. I’m not even sure Smith would be in the top-5 on the Bears’ pecking order. But it wouldn’t take much of an imagination to envision a Smith fit in Chicago *for the short term*. In fact, we tossed around the idea last offseason. We are now a year removed from first discussing the idea of Smith being a Bears bridge. And it’s not inconsequential that we saw him play eight games of professional football last year. So since we’re entertaining any and all QB options, what’s one more?
We watched Smith elevate a cellar-dwelling Washington football team to a division crown in 2020. And before that, we saw him serve as the bridge to the Chiefs’ long-term plan of unleashing Patrick Mahomes on the world. So with that in mind, maybe there is a path where Smith does that for a Bears rookie quarterback in 2021?
Eh. With Foles still on the roster, it’s a tough sell. There are better ways to use those additional funds, especially when Foles can provide much of the same leadership and mentoring.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a popular move, especially when all eyes are on Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson. However, it’s not like the Bears would (should) rush to pursue Smith ahead of the other options they’ve been linked to already this offseason. In other words, I wouldn’t worry about Chicago’s front office dismissing higher-end options and diverting all attention to a 36-year-old Smith. But if April rolls around and both of those players are still with their respective teams, a Smith-rookie combo plan wouldn’t be the team’s worst option.
