When word first came in of a potential Mark Sanchez Bears meeting, everybody knew it was almost a foregone conclusion. Chicago was going to sign the veteran quarterback. The man responsible for the iconic "Butt Fumble" would make the Bears his fifth teams since being drafted back in 2009. According to Ian Rapoport, that will indeed be the case.
This may seem like a nightmare for some. How is going from Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley to Mike Glennon, Mark Sanchez and Connor Shaw getting better? In truth though the reasoning behind the deal is simple enough. Glennon has only started 18 games in the NFL. Shaw has one. Clearly the team felt (rightly) that they needed somebody with more experience. Love him or hate him, Sanchez helped the New York Jets reach two AFC championship games in 2009 and 2010. He has started 72 total games in his career. That is his primary value. However, it's not the only one. Sanchez earned high praise from the Dallas Cowboys for his work as a mentor to rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. His influence was deemed crucial to Prescott's outstanding success in 2016. No doubt the Bears are hoping he brings some of that same teaching prowess to Chicago. All signs point to the team drafting a young quarterback of their own. While Glennon holds down the starting job, it would be nice to have a veteran helping the rookie adjust to the pro level as quickly as possible. Time will tell if that is indeed the plan.
