Is this an actual narrative? I don't recall us having any trouble getting free agents to sign here or anything along those lines. And I'd imagine it's one of the more desirable cities to play in in the league among most players. I don't think it's entirely true but they have missed out on guys they went hard after, with the most prominent examples probably Bennett's brother and then Martellus wanting to get the hell out of dodge. I think what they have in place is a reasonably well respected group, between Pace and Fox and to a lesser extent Fangio. But nobody is impressed by them or anything about this team. The strength coach and hippy did a bang up job of gutting this organization. Pace brought in a well respected Baltimore guy but he's already left and now this staff is nothing but old time Bears people and some Saints guys + Fox. It's complete blah. Didn't Michael Bennett re-sign with Seattle before FA even opened? Martellus wanted out of town but that's always going to happen when there is a regime change and roles and changed etc. Plus he seems like he subscribes to the Brandon Marshall school of franchise jumping where everyone loves him until he wears out his welcome. I think it was mutual between Bennett and the Bears not just Martellus forcing himself out of town. I feel like other than that I can't think of many high profile misses for the Bears (but my memory sucks so I could be missing some). I think they went after some of the more in demand defensive FAs out there and got them to come aboard. I'm sure most of that was wanting to play for a guy with a reputation like Fangio, but the city is still a desirable place to play. In terms of the meatballs and their cutler obsession/hot takes (now more responding to CubsBearsMagic's OP here), football is the most mainstream sport in America, and from living in other cities I can tell you every town has idiots that carry on about dumb horsefeathers. Maybe Bears fans do it more than others, I don't know but if they do its not noticeably more.