This Jimmy Garoppolo Update Is Potentially Huge For The Bears

When thinking about quarterbacks that could drastically impact the Chicago Bears' off-season, the obvious names are Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr, and Lamar Jackson. Nobody thinks of Jimmy Garoppolo. The longtime veteran isn't the big name on the veteran market, but thanks to key circumstances, he might help determine how intense the pursuit will be for the Bears' #1 overall pick. How? It starts with the Las Vegas Raiders. They are suddenly in a significant quarterback bind.

Everybody knows they will move on from Derek Carr in the coming days. Either they will trade him or cut him before a February 15th deadline. Once that is done, they must find a replacement. Everybody felt Tom Brady was the obvious target. Then he retired. Unless they're prepared to pay for Rodgers, most believe the Raiders' fallback option is Garoppolo. He has an established relationship with head coach Josh McDaniels. It makes sense.

However, even that option could now be in peril, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

"Order #1 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Get their books in order. This is a team that has historically not pushed salary cap hits into the future but so many players wanted to play for Brady and they went with it. Plus the year the salary cap dipped because of COVID. So they did push those hits into the future. They're about $55 million over the cap right now, $35 million of that is Brady's. They expect to absorb all of that this year. So the plan for Tampa Bay is to retool while still competing. This has been the plan for a few years. They knew they'd have to pay these debts at some point. They will be in the veteran quarterback market. Jimmy Garoppolo (is) one of the quarterbacks they like."

Jimmy Garoppolo to Tampa Bay would be perfect for the Bears.

The Buccaneers don't pick in the top 10. Taking Garoppolo out of the picture would ruin almost any hope of the Raiders going the veteran quarterback route. If Rodgers ends up in New York or Tennessee, as some have projected, they would have no choice but to shift their focus to the draft. Las Vegas picks 7th overall. That puts them in a prime position to trade up if they're desperate enough. Everybody knows the Texans (#2) and Colts (#4) will likely take QBs. The Raiders would have to get in front of them for their guy.

It is another reminder that even the lesser names can have a profound butterfly effect on an NFL off-season. Jimmy Garoppolo isn't anywhere close to the most coveted quarterback on the market. Yet his decision on where to play could drastically impact what trade offers the Bears may or may not get. That is why the next month and a half could be some of the most exciting days in recent memory. The sheer unpredictability of it all will make for great drama.