The Chicago Bears searching for a quarterback is the worst kept secret in America. They've technically been doing so dating back decades. The active search though probably began a couple months ago when Jay Cutler ruined his last opportunity. On the heels of a terrific performance against Minnesota on Halloween night, the veteran threw it away in an ugly effort against Tampa Bay two weeks later.
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For many that day was the final straw. He played against an average defense with plenty of time to prepare and delivered a forgettable effort. There are those who still stand behind Cutler, but it's clearer than ever they're in the minority. Every sign points to the Bears wiping the slate clean with a new starting quarterback in 2017.
All their options are on the table. It's a matter of finding out which one they'll go with. The popular route of late is a trade involving New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo. Most have heard the story by now: young, smart, accurate, learned behind best QB of all-time and an Illinois native. It's an easy sell. The issue is which team has the best chance to get him?
At this point in time there are plenty of teams who could be in the running for Garoppolo, but experts only see three as legitimate contenders. One is the Bears and the other two are the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns. All are attached to rumors involving interest in the 25-year old. Thus it becomes a matter of which has the most ammunition to get him.
If that's the case, the consensus is Cleveland holds serve. They are the only one of the three teams that has two picks in the first round of this 2017 draft. Flipping the lesser of the two (#12) would likely be enough to clinch a deal. The problem is the growing buzz around the NFL is no team feels Garoppolo is worth so steep a price.
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If that's the case, the field is far more narrow with Cleveland holding the #33 pick, San Francisco the #34 and Chicago the #36. Under those conditions it's difficult to figure out who has the edge save for the minor differences in position. Pro Football Focus columnist John Kosko believes the Bears are the favorite for a key reason.
"Of all the teams vying for Jimmy Garoppolo, the Browns have the most ammunition to make it happen. Both the Browns and the Bears have made several trades with the Patriots over the past two years, so the line of communication is open with the relationships positive. As promising as Garoppolo looked in limited action, he’s arguably a bigger risk than drafting one of the top QBs, since the team acquiring him will need to give him a big extension and commit a large sum of money to an unproven player. If Garoppolo is that good and Belichick trades him, expect him to most likely land in Chicago where he won’t contend with New England for the AFC title."That is something mentioned on multiple occasions. New England would prefer to keep a quarterback who knows them so well as far away as possible. Makes perfect sense. Thus an NFC trade would be preferable. Then why the Bears over the 49ers? San Francisco is an NFC team as well and have more picks at their disposal in the 2017 draft (10 at current count). A couple factors might be in play there. For one their new regime of GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan has no history of dealing with the Patriots in trade talks. The Bears do. To date Ryan Pace has made three deals with them since 2015. Then there is the reality that the 49ers have better advantages in both the draft and free agency. Higher picks and more money. They could definitely lure a top quarterback of their choice either of those ways. One also can't discount the hometown factor as well. Would Garoppolo prefer to play for the team he watched growing up or one that has changed head coaches three times in the past three years? He could easily voice that desire to the Patriots, making it that much easier for the Bears. That's not to say the 49ers aren't a threat, but it lends plenty of argument to the prediction. Time will reveal much.
