How The Bears' Mike Glennon Deal Could Be Strategically Brilliant

Not much has changed for Chicago Bears fans regarding the quarterback position. Even with Jay Cutler gone, they are deeply divided on the subject. The signing of Mike Glennon has been met with everything from intrigue and hope to outright revulsion and despair. It's either a crafty attempt by the team to uncover a hidden gem or a colossal waste of time and money better spent elsewhere. Such is the reality of being fans of a team that hasn't fielded a Pro Bowl quarterback in three decades. By far the longest streak in the NFL. GM Ryan Pace didn't make any promises regarding the future on Glennon. He merely stated the team was excited about giving the 27-year old an opportunity. Glennon himself sounds relaxed, confident and ready for it. What's interesting about this situation isn't necessarily the plans for 2017. Those seem pretty much set. It's how the Bears might be able to play things next year. What does that mean? The answer lay in what they do in the draft and how the contract of their new starting quarterback is structured. So how exactly has this signing set the Bears up? Sports Mockery alluded to the idea earlier that Pace was intent on taking a couple cracks at QB this year. Signing Glennon was one part, followed by a decent draft pick within the first three rounds. Thus Chicago will have hedged its bets to see if they found their guy. Pace may have stated that Glennon is the starting quarterback for 2017, but that shouldn't deter him from eyeing QBs in the draft. Bleacher Report draft insider Matt Miller confirmed as much when he spoke with a source close to the situation.

"Does signing Mike Glennon prevent the Bears from drafting a quarterback at No. 3 overall? "Not at all" is how one scouting source in Chicago put it. The scout told me the Bears will go with a best-player-available approach but don't feel pressured to go after a quarterback in Round 1 now, either."

What nobody is accounting for in this is the Glennon contract. According to reports it is a three-year deal at $43.5 million with $18.5 million guaranteed. In the details, $13 million of those guarantees come in the first year. After that it drops to just $2.5 million in 2018 and none in the final year. There are two ways to look at that. By next year the Bears could easily cut Glennon with minimal cap repercussions. At the same time, that deal becomes infinitely more tradeable. Why does that matter? Follow the logic. Say Glennon plays really well in 2017. Then the Bears have him on a cheap deal for at least two more seasons. That's great. So what happens if Pace drafts a rookie he really likes and Glennon just plays decent? Chicago could choose to make a switch in 2018. At that point Pace has the advantage of a highly experienced backup. However, he'll have a 28-year old quarterback on a decent contract with little guaranteed money left. That could make him a desirable trade piece. Remember that when Seattle signed Matt Flynn in 2012, they also drafted Russell Wilson. When Wilson took over the starting job, the Seahawks eventually traded Flynn for a fifth round pick. They would end up using that in a package to get wide receiver Paul Richardson a year later. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Paul-Richardson-Makes-3-Amazing-Catches-in-Seahawks-Victory-NFL-Wild-Card-Player-Highlights.mp4"][/video] That is how the NFL works. Signing Glennon was first and foremost an attempt to find a new start. It wasn't the only reason though. By doing so the Bears acquired something of value. A quarterback who is still young and now on a contract that ranks in the bottom third of the league among starters. Even if the player Chicago drafts does replace him, the odds are very good teams will view Glennon as a reasonable risk in a trade. Thus the Bears spent some money to eventual acquire a draft pick (or picks). So at worst they've brought in a QB they can cut after one year. At best he's their long-term starter. It's that gray area in between where Pace's plan really shows up. Look at it this way. If Minnesota was willing to shell out a first round pick for Sam Bradford, odds are good the Bears can get something in return for Glennon next year, provided it comes to that.