The rumor mill is swirling faster and faster every day. March 9th is widely viewed as the start of the new league year in the NFL and the beginning of unrestricted free agency. What is has also become in recent years is ground zero for trade announcements. Needless to say people are scrambling for any bit of news they can get a hold of regarding several names on the block. The Chicago Bears should know. They're right at the heart of it.
Not only is Jay Cutler being shopped by the team, but the real news has centered their supposed infatuation with Jimmy Garoppolo. GM Ryan Pace got to meet and talk up the New England Patriots backup during joint practices in the 2016 preseason. Since then their interest has grown after watching the 25-year old perform very well in his two starts at the beginning of the season in place of a suspended Tom Brady.
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In many ways he represents the ideal solution for this regime. He's young enough for Pace to build around but also boasts enough NFL experience to win games right away. Something head coach John Fox needs to happen with his job clearly on the line in 2017. The problem is many still aren't convinced Chicago has a reasonable shot. Not with Cleveland, a team loaded with extra high draft choices, also in the hunt.
So here's why there should be reason to believe the Bears have a serious shot at him.
Hometown advantage
Soldier Field hasn't been the biggest help to the Bears over the past few years, but that doesn't mean sweet home Chicago doesn't still have that draw. Garoppolo was born under her shadow, an Arlington Heights native who went to high school in Rolling Meadows. He was also a graduate of Eastern Illinois University. This city and state run through his veins and he grew up watching the Bears. Why wouldn't the idea of playing for him be exciting. In fact he has some potential sway over whether that can happen. Though the Patriots have a choice which teams they can negotiate with, Garoppolo can torpedo any such deal by making a simple ultimatum as NBC Sports pointed out."BUT GAROPPOLO CAN FLATLY REFUSE TO DO A NEW CONTRACT WITH ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH WOULD MAKE HIM FAR LESS ATTRACTIVE IN TRADE. LET’S SAY THE BROWNS WANT HIM, AND THAT HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE THE NEXT NAME ON BACK OF THE SHIRT OF SLAPD–KS. IF HE SAYS (THROUGH HIS AGENT), “I’M NOT INTERESTED IN PLAYING FOR YOU AND I WILL NEVER SIGN A LONG-TERM CONTRACT,” WHY WOULD THE BROWNS DO THE DEAL? SO, YES, GAROPPOLO HAS PLENTY OF SAY."Not only do the Bears represent his home state, it's a chance to return a conquering hero. The native son rides in on a white horse to pull a listless franchise out of the Dark Ages and back into the light. A little over-the-top but no less true. Plus the Bears have more to offer from a personnel standpoint as the next reason illustrates.
Cleveland is quarterback hell
People love to harp on the Bears for being the place where quarterbacks go to die. Admittedly it hasn't been the most pleasant place at times. The handling of the Cutler era was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Too many mistakes to count. This isn't even factoring in the parade of sadness before his arrival. Tons of bust draft picks and ill-fated castoffs from other teams. Yet for all their misery, the Bears can't hold a candle to the Cleveland Browns organization, particularly since the franchise returned in 1999. Here is a rundown of some of the highlights those fans got (had) to watch over the past 18 years.- Tim Couch
- Doug Pederson
- Kelly Holcomb
- Jeff Garcia
- Trent Dilfer
- Charlie Frye
- Derek Anderson
- Brady Quinn
- Colt McCoy
- Seneca Wallace
- Brandon Weeden
- Jason Campbell
- Brian Hoyer
- Johnny Manziel
- Josh McCown
- Robert Griffin III
San Francisco is bowing out
Okay, perhaps the better way to put it is it appears that the San Francisco 49ers are stepping back from the Garoppolo race. Or to put it another way, they may have their sights set on a different trade target. Former scout and current NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes the team is planning to make a serious run at Washington Redskins Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins."I would not be shocked at all if we saw a Kirk Cousins to San Francisco trade go down at that point in time." The offer, Jeremiah concluded, would include the Niners No. 2 overall pick, but might mean the 'Skins send back their own 17th pick. From there, Washington could turn to Colt McCoy or look for a passer with the second pick. Either way, it's hard to see a path for Cousins to be the 'Skins long term QB for Jeremiah. "I don’t think they’re going to be able to get a long term deal done," he said. "I would say greater than 50 percent chance he’s not with the Redskins next year."Cousins and the Redskins continue to do their contract dance. It seems the 29-year old is perfectly content to force Washington into franchise tagging him again rather than accept a long-term deal he feels is beneath his value. San Francisco has plenty to offer him: better weather, a familiar system (Kyle Shanahan helped draft him), and above all more money. The 49ers will have in excess of $80 million in cap space. They can afford to make Cousins one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL. Something the Redskins are clearly unwilling to do. This of course leaves one of the major players out of the Garoppolo derby, increasing the chances for Chicago.
AFC vs. NFC
Do not underestimate the impact of conference position in these complicated negotiations. The Patriots are an AFC team. They know exactly how good Garoppolo can be. Would it really make sense for them to trade him to another team in the same conference, thus upping the odds of potentially having to deal with him more often in both the regular season and the playoffs? Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports doesn't believe so.“Furthermore, trading Garoppolo out of the AFC would appeal to the Patriots, who expect him to prosper elsewhere.”This of course makes the Bears a more palatable destination because they are an NFC team. Also helping is the fact that the two teams have already done trade business in the past. GM Ryan Pace dealt guard Ryan Groy, linebacker Jon Bostic and tight end Martellus Bennett to New England between 2015 and 2016. That familiarity would help the process go even smoother.
Compatible coaching staff
Talent matters plenty for a quarterback in the NFL, but time has shown that scheme fit matters almost as much. The Bears never settled on a particular system for Jay Cutler and by the time they found one that worked with Adam Gase it was too late. Part of the reason New England drafted Garoppolo was because he fit their style of offense. A quick passing attack that features play action and mostly short-to-intermediate routes for receivers. It's meant to create throwing windows based on timing. Garoppolo proved he's pretty good at it through two weeks of starting last September. The question becomes which teams runs a system based off similar tendencies. As it turns out, for once, the Bears have much in common. When Dowell Loggains was running his offense at its best in 2016, it was with Brian Hoyer at quarterback. Can it be a coincidence he too was brought up from college by the Patriots? [video width="640" height="352" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Brian-Hoyer-vs-Colts-NFL-Week-5-2016-397-Yards-2-TDs-NFL-Highlights.mp4"][/video] Then it shouldn't be surprising that Loggains had a considerable crush on Garoppolo back in 2014 when he was the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns.Indeed based on body type, throwing motion and mental makeup Hoyer and Garoppolo do share a lot in common. The difference is Jimmy is more talented. He's a better athlete, has a stronger arm and a far quicker release. Throw in that "Favre-Rodgers" level of confidence that teammate Julian Edelman talked about and it's understandable why the Bears would be interested.
