Quarterbacks are expensive. Especially productive ones. That is just the way the NFL is these days. The Chicago Bears know this. They had to pay tens of millions to secure Mike Glennon one time. They gave Jay Cutler $126 million. Even average quarterbacks cost a lot in most circumstances. However, sometimes certain things can happen that might just give a cash-strapped team some help. Provided they’re willing to take a risk.
There will be no greater risk this offseason than Jameis Winston. The guy is the definition of a roller coaster. The good? He threw for over 5,100 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2019 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The bad? He also threw 30 interceptions. An incredible up-and-down run that has people utterly baffled on how to judge him moving forward. Rumors have hinted Winston wants a big payday on the open market and that the Bucs aren’t interested in giving it to him.
According to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Winston might not get what he’s looking for. One executive said there is no way a team will pay big money for such uncertainty.
Here’s what one NFL exec said this week about the former No. 1 overall pick: “I don’t see how you can pay him. It would have to be pretty reasonably low if they did. You can’t give him big money based on the way he played. He won’t have a market.”
Chicago Bears could gamble on Winston in 2020
This is an interesting development from the Bears’ perspective. The odds of them spending big on a veteran QB in free agency is remote. Tom Brady? Philip Rivers? Those are pipe dreams. The more likely avenue is finding somebody with starting experience and upside who might be able to push Mitch Trubisky. From what this exec says, there is no way a team will pay Winston to be their starter in 2020. That means he’ll have to take a lesser deal somewhere and compete for a job.
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Chicago is probably the best bet he could hope for. It’s a mutually beneficial venture. Winston takes a one-year deal with the Bears in hopes of overtaking Trubisky and proving he can be an effective starter. The Bears at the very least get a credible backup who could step in if their final roll of the dice on Trubisky doesn’t pan out. If the plan doesn’t work, no big deal. The team can reset in 2021.
