NEWSLETTER
There comes a point in the offseason where we move from lying season to buying season.
Because after all the misdirection and misinformation that happens between the end of the Super Bowl and the start of the NFL Draft, we’ll reach an intersection where offseason chatter is rooted more in truth than in deceit. And when it comes to the Chicago Bears, I think we’re coming up on that destination.
Whispers of the Bears’ interest in drafting a quarterback has grown since the team’s failure to trade for Russell Wilson. And we’re getting to a place where there is visible smoke surrounding the situation.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune throws some more logs on the fire, only adding to the smoke around the situation:
It seems unbelievable Ryan Pace & Matt Nagy sold George McCaskey on the idea of just casting their lot with a bridge QB.
Surely, signing Andy Dalton is Part 1 of a 2-part plan & the #Bears might not be able to sit and wait for Part 2 at No. 20 in Round 1https://t.co/1BjpD1xdxk
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) April 15, 2021
And here’s the kicker:
“There has been sentiment around the NFL for a few weeks that the Bears are plotting a move for a quarterback, that Pace and Nagy view that as their best chance to spark a turnaround while also providing hope for the future. The Bears could continue with their plan to start Dalton while bringing along a rookie, hoping the veteran performs well enough that they don’t have to turn to a draft pick in an effort to try to save jobs.”
This development shouldn’t be surprising. The Bears making aggressive pushes to fix the most important position in sports should be a given at this point. Not just because of the importance of quarterback. And not only because the team has failed time and again to find stability and excellence at the position. But also because GM Ryan Pace and Head Coach Matt Nagy are in job-preservation mode. Pace is entering a lame-duck year. Nagy has just one year remaining on his deal after the 2021 season. How you feel about either is irrelevant to the reality of the situation.
And the reality is this: People like having work. Moreover, people enjoy employment with an NFL franchise. On top of that, people enjoy being working for a charter franchise in a sports-obsessed market. With all that being said, it is of no wonder that Pace and Nagy are collaborating on drafting a quarterback. And that they are willing to risk future capital in order to make a move for a player who they believe can (1) save their jobs and (2) lead the Bears to bigger and better things is unsurprising.
Or to put it in its most simplest form: Pace and Nagy were’t going into the year with Andy Dalton as the unquestioned starter. Not with what’s on the line for this team. And certainly not with what’s on the line regarding their future employment. At least, they weren’t going into the year with Andy Dalton as the locked-in QB1 without going down swinging first.
