The Chicago Bears have some decisions to make at quarterback. Chase Daniel is a free agent, leaving only Mitch Trubisky on the depth chart. GM Ryan Pace may have said he intends to keep Trubisky as the starter, but he also left the door wide open for possibly bringing in competition. Thus the discussions have gone on for over a month now. If that is true, who might the Bears target as an option?
Preferably they would want somebody with lots of starting experience. Somebody who would be viewed as an actual threat to Trubisky’s job if he happens to continue struggling like he did most of 2019. Some names have been thrown around already. Marcus Mariota. Case Keenum. Andy Dalton if he happens to get cut by the Cincinnati Bengals. The idea is to get credibility at a favorable price.
Longtime insider Peter King of NBC Sports recently decided to take a stab at picking likely destinations for every notable quarterback on the free agent market. Tom Brady would stay in New England. Philip Rivers would head for Indianapolis. Teddy Bridgewater would find his way south to Tampa Bay. Cam Newton could head to Los Angeles. Ryan Tannehill stays in Tennessee.
So what of the Bears? Well, prepare yourselves.
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“The rest? It could be that Jameis Winston will have to move, and fight for a starting job somewhere . . . I have to think Chicago could be in the market for a better backup than Chase Daniel, knowing he may have to play half the season or more if Mitchell Trubisky has a bad September.”
Chicago Bears would throw caution to the wind with Winston
Jameis Winston is going to be the most polarizing player in free agency this year. The former #1 pick had the craziest season for a quarterback in recent memory in 2019. He threw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns for Tampa Bay. Numbers that would make a lot of people drool. Unfortunately, he also threw 30 interceptions. It was the starkest case of Jekyll and Hyde for a quarterback seen since the heyday of Brett Favre. People are left wondering whether Winston is worth that risk.
Lots of people don’t think so. Hence why predictions are widespread that the 26-year old won’t get the massive payday he’s hoping for.
For his part, Winston is doing everything in his power to help himself get better. He recently had LASIK eye surgery to correct a vision issue he’s had for years. He hopes this will help him improve his decision-making. While that’s an admirable approach, the reality is Winston is who he is. It’s been this way since college. Sooner or later, he is going to put the ball in harm’s way.
There is no question he can have some impressive games, but it’s hard to win a championship when the quarterback is actively sabotaging your efforts with turnovers. Then again, maybe Matt Nagy might feel he can curb some of those issues. Coaches have egos like that.
