NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears’ pursuit of Russell Wilson resembles something that might as well be a call back to any given moment of this team’s offensive showings in recent years: a well drawn out play that ended up crumbling in the execution.
Like any well drawn play, the Bears’ trade offer to the Seahawks was a substantial one with significant potential:
About an hour ago DP was told that the #Bears offered Seattle the following for Russell Wilson:
-Three 1st Round picks
-a 3rd Round pick
-2 starters (Was not told who those starters were) pic.twitter.com/lOgH2ZuLVC— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 17, 2021
That’s a substantial offer to turn down. And one I’m not sure Seattle will get down the line if it decides it’s time to rebuild a year from now. Nevertheless, it wasn’t one Seattle felt it could pull the trigger on making. Fair enough.
And to think, it almost came to a head in Fargo, N.D.:
From @GMFB: The #Bears are signing QB Andy Dalton, but only after a clandestine meeting between #Bears GM Ryan Pace and #Seahawks GM John Schneider in Fargo, ND did not result in a trade for Russell Wilson — despite Chicago's best efforts. pic.twitter.com/HEQlDNHtLS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2021
Even though NFL Network Ian Rapoport’s earlier reports were to the contrary, his latest now lines up with what reports elsewhere were suggesting. That the Seahawks were listening to offers and engaging in conversations with the Bears. Moreover, this happened *in-person* while at Trey Lance’s Pro Day at North Dakota State. It didn’t get done, but it’s not as if reports elsewhere were unsubstantial fabrications.
Long story, short: It’s good that the Bears got to this point on Wilson. They identified a situation they could possibly swing, took a big shot, and made the Seahawks turn them down. The Bears did what they were supposed to do.
BUT … it’s still a monumental failure. That’s the thing about these situations. You have to force the other team’s hand and make them say no. Otherwise, you’re simply not doing your job. But getting to this point where your only good options are massive, unlikely swings like acquiring a superstar franchise quarterback from a competitive team? You don’t get extra credit for trying to get out of the corner you forced yourself into.
So, where does this leave the Bears?
For starters, it leaves them with Andy Dalton as their QB1 for the time-being. I say for the time being because now we know the Bears are willing to use future draft-pick capital for a quarterback upgrade. And that bit of knowledge opens up an avenue for teams in a position to draft a QB to offer their spot to a desperate team in search of their quarterbacking holy grail. Dangling a first-round quarterback will be tempting. And drafting said quarterback could be the ammo GM Ryan Pace and Head Coach Matt Nagy need to beg George McCaskey and the powers that be to see it through for another couple years.
So, essentially, we’re still in the same saga, but set to start a different chapter. You could understand why yesterday brought a lot of frustration to the surface.
Brett Taylor contributed to this post.
