In the history of the Chicago Bears, no quarterback has eclipsed 4,000 passing yards in a single season. Erik Kramer fell just shy with 3,838 in 1995, followed by Jay Cutler with the four next best season totals. Just six quarterbacks reached 3,000 yards in a single campaign, eleven total seasons among them.
The Bears could never quite figure out the quarterback position. The fix seemingly eludes them at every turn in spite of their countless practical searches and attempts.
Years of dominant defensive forces, stud running backs, extremely talented receiving corps culminating in failure time and time again without an anchor under center.
And now the opportunity presents itself on a silver platter. In this case, there are multiple silver platters. However, everybody wants them and they’re pricey! Deshaun Watson wants out in Houston, and the deteriorating situation in Seattle for Russell Wilson could come to a head sooner than originally imagined.
Two sensational quarterbacks looking for a new home, one Super Bowl-starved city waiting for an heir to its quarterbacking throne.
Lucky for Bears fans, Russell Wilson added Chicago to the short-list of destinations to which he’d waive his no-trade clause. Soak it in. It’s cloud-nine in Chicago.
Two weeks ago, giving up an arm and a leg for Carson Wentz felt imminent. Now, the narrative is shifting toward the long-shot, yet possible acquisition of one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL of recent memory.
Rumblings of Wilson’s unhappiness with Seattle gave the sense of a power struggle, or potential underlying issues with coaches and the front office, but at no point did a transaction involving the QB seem realistically possible. And while Wilson’s agent was careful not to publicly demand a trade for his client, naming the four potential landing spots for the 32-year-old still carries significance.
Reading Into It
I’m giddy, this is exciting and I desperately want a quarterback of Wilson’s caliber in Chicago. As the voices in my head and on Twitter tell me the Bears had their shot in 2017 with Mahomes or Watson and blew it, I hear you, I don’t like you; leave me alone.
Schefter’s tweet strikes two chords: where is this situation heading, and why publicly name the teams now?
There’s a very real and more-likely-than-not chance Russell Wilson is in the huddle with the Seahawks next season. It sounds as though Mr. Unlimited wants things to work in Seattle. But this has the makings and is reminiscent of the beginning of the very fluid Deshaun Watson situation in Houston.
Watson’s request for a trade was not immediate, but as the football world grasped onto the state of affairs in the Houston front office, things changed at a rapid pace.
At this moment in time, Watson is still a member of the Texans organization, but according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, after a conversation with new Head Coach David Culley, Watson’s stance didn’t budge and he has no intention of playing for Houston again.
Wilson’s disdain for Pete Carroll and the management condition in Seattle could boil over and create an ultimatum type scenario like the one in Houston.
Reading between the lines, attempting to decipher whether his agent’s comments are a smokescreen or legitimate, I think Mark Rodgers is telling the Oakland Raiders, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears to prepare their best offers.
You don’t name the teams after “lightly” refusing to demand a trade if there’s not significant weight to the rumors of Wilson’s misery in Seattle’s building. You cannot convince me that there’s a separate tactic at play here from Rodgers. That said, a Rodgers burning the Bears in the end is a tale as old as time.
However, Wilson is Plan 1b. Plan 1a is making an all-out push for Deshaun Watson. Once again, not impossible, but also a long-shot to say the least. Houston’s not willing to part with their franchise-altering quarterback, Watson’s unwilling to play for the franchise, and nobody’s quite sure what the hypothetical price tag is because the Texans refuse to entertain the idea of entertaining trade offers.
Convincing Watson to accept a move to Chicago is a trickier assignment, too. Watson also possesses a no-trade clause in his contract, but hasn’t shown an interest in waiving it for a deal to Chicago. It’s a muddy mess in Houston and nobody’s quite sure where it’s heading without a clear indication what either party is exactly after.
That shifts the conversation back to Russell Wilson. Somehow, this is the more…attainable/feasible option for Chicago. I know, it’s crazy-speak. But if Wilson truly lists the Bears as a desired destination, that’s one hurdle in the rearview.
What If Chicago Misses On Both?
Well, that would certainly stink, and I doubt Ryan Pace would go this route in the end with his job on the line, but stand pat. Don’t trade for another bottom-rung quarterback. Marcus Mariota running Matt Nagy’s offense doesn’t gloss over the many imperfections in his scheme.
Nagy isn’t the worst head coach (right?) and does some things right that the fan base typically refuses to give credit toward, but his inexcusable stubbornness and mind-boggling refusal to throw to the sticks on third down doesn’t go away with another Foles like Mariota, Darnold, etc.
Mark Rodgers opened the floodgates for belligerent Bears fans to become pissed off if their organization lacks a steadfast effort to acquire an elite quarterback in the immediate future. Now it’s up to Ryan Pace to deliver on a promise he never made, but one that could determine the fate of his career in Chicago. Wilson, Watson or it was nice knowin’ ya.
