Mathieu Betts Was Going to a Different Team Before Bears Got Him

One of the most intriguing signings in undrafted free agency this year came when the Chicago Bears secured defensive end, Mathieu Betts. A native of Montreal, Canada, he'd had himself a highly-decorated career at Laval College. Not only did his team win two national championships, but he also recorded 33.5 sacks. This earned him placement as the #1 overall prospect in the 2019 CFL draft class.

Betts though had eyes on bigger game. He wanted to play in the NFL. So he accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game. The hope was a good week of workouts and a strong performance in the game could get teams to notice. Those hopes came true. Though Betts would not be drafted, he was coveted as an undrafted free agent by a number of teams.

Most people know that it was the Bears who ended up getting him. What nobody knew until recently is that they actually weren't Betts' first option. Another team all but had him locked up before something changed. His agent explained during a short documentary that followed the young man to his pro football dream.

Mathieu Betts thought he was an Arizona Cardinal

When it became clear that Betts likely wasn't getting drafted, his agent Sasha Ghavami got in contact with a series of teams that his client had interest in. It was close. Really close. Almost could've been a coin flip. In the end, the Arizona Cardinals won out over the Bears. It looked like everything was settled. Betts went to another room to tell his family the good news.

That was when Ghavami received a call back from the Cardinals. Apparently, due to Betts not having a work visa, they'd have to rescind the offer. It was a puzzling development and a potential disaster. Ghavami assured them the issue was only temporary, but to no avail. Luckily, he hadn't yet told other teams that Betts had chosen Arizona.

He quickly called the Bears to find out if the offer was still on the table. It was. The visa issue didn't seem to be a big deal to them. An agreement was quickly reached, and just like that Betts was a Bear. His family seemed elated at the news. Not a surprise given Chicago is much closer to Montreal that Phoenix. One could say it all worked out for the best.