There are no further questions. The Chicago Bears have their starting quarterback for the 2017 season. GM Ryan Pace didn't mince words on that subject. Ready or not, Mike Glennon is the man this year. The one who will take up the mantle of Jay Cutler, whom fans still have mixed feeling about. How should one feel about losing a quarterback who broke every franchise passing record but had just one playoff appearance in eight seasons?
Suffice to say Glennon comes in with a lot to prove. He wants to show he can succeed where Cutler failed, while also rewriting the narrative that he's just a failed draft pick who became a backup. Like it or not, that's what it looks like after he went 5-13 as a starter. Then losing his job to Jameis Winston. The hope is better protection and help around him will flip the script.
What many still wonder (or lament at this point) is what could've been regarding other moves to make. There was the draft of course and it's still possible they grab somebody there. However, most of the questions center around the bold move they didn't make. One that couldn't brought a native son home to on a white horse.
MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH
Eric Galko of Sporting News came out with some interesting nuggets from around the league, specifically in regards to the quarterback position. Included was the belief Tony Romo ends up in Houston, Kirk Cousins will be traded to San Francisco and that Deshone Kizer would fall out of the first round. Of course he also discussed the situation in Chicago. Galko believes that the Bears' aggressive move to sign the 27-year old was spurred by the inability to close a deal with the New England Patriots for Jimmy Garoppolo. Apparently they were the favored destination for the Arlington Heights native and former Eastern Illinois star. The problem? Chicago wasn't willing to give up a first round pick in order to get him."Mike Glennon’s rumored contract numbers aside (it’ll be less than $15 million per year for the first three years), his likely destination (the Bears) may show that Chicago truly feels that Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t going anywhere. The Bears were the favorites to land Garoppolo, but it’d be a massive waste of money to sign Glennon and then trade for Garoppolo. I still believe it’s closer to 50/50 that Garoppolo gets traded before the start of the 2017 season, but Bill Belichick is holding firm at his desired first-round compensation."It was rumored for weeks that Garoppolo was the preferred target for Chicago. However, Ryan Pace isn't the sort of GM who is going to overpay for any prospect. Even a quarterback. Chicago is in no position to be giving up first round picks after going 3-13 last season. The logic was simple enough. If they couldn't get Garoppolo at a fair price, they'd shift to going after Glennon. In this way they get a more experienced former backup and don't have to give up any picks. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Tampa-Bay-Buccaneers-wide-receiver-Tiquan-Underwood-20-yard-TD-NFL-Videos.mp4"][/video] Nevertheless it's still interesting to hear validation on the subject after months of speculation. Chicago was indeed the desired landing spot for Garoppolo, and the Patriots to an extent. They were an NFC team unlike the Cleveland Browns. In the end, as with most blockbuster trades, the two sides just couldn't agree on a price. Now the Bears will forge ahead with Glennon.
