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Rumor I read yesterday that ARob was waiting to see what the Bears would do at QB and if he didn't like it, he was going to officially hold out and demand a trade. Can't blame him. Good thing for the Bears is the WR market has started slow so if they move quickly, they can possibly find a replacement.

Step 1: Pay 10-13M for one of the worst QBs in the league to add to your other worse QB in the league. Step 2: Potentially lose your probowl CB

I used to hate that sports media never talked about the Bears. Even when they won, they didn't win pretty enough so it wasn't newsworthy. But maybe that's for the best, because once again the Bears are a media laughing stock. Just like they were when they traded for Foles. Just like they were after a 3-point offensive output in the playoffs Just like they were after the season ending press conference. Just like they are after the multiple primetime blowouts each season.

Bears are going to draft an edge rusher in the 1st round Sent from my SM-A115AZ using Tapatalk

Had a busy afternoon/evening haven't read the posts yet, but this is horsefeathering bad. Ok, you couldn't get Wilson. Why then go for Dalton so quickly? Why not wait out to see what SF does with Jimmy G? See what Vegas does with Mariota. See if Minshew, Darnold, or Bridgewater come available or their prices go down in a trade. Hell, why not wait out Dalton last year if you liked him so much? Sure they all suck, but whats the worst that could happen? Oh you miss out on a mediocre QB?. Who cares? You already have one of those. If you have to settle for a bad QB, why settle before the league year actually begins? Why settle for bad QB whos OLDER than your already bad QB? If the end game is a draft pick at QB who is a long term answer, you're likely looking at the veteran being a part-time starter anyway. Why you in a hurry for that with Foles on the roster? And if you can't get Russ/Watson, dont have the patience for leftovers cut between now and May, and don't care about age, then get Fitzpatrick yesterday before he goes to Washington. He's been a bridge QB before, and he's at least competently terrible. Sent from my SM-A115AZ using Tapatalk

IU fired Archie Miller. Probably a solid move. I don't think Archie can coach or develop talent well enough. Problem is, I don't know that there's a guy out there that can reasonably put IU basketball back where they want to be. The names are all over the place. Of course everyone wants Oats, Beard, or Scott Drew to leave their jobs, which is extremely unlikely. Dane Fife's name has come up. But people are throwing out old head names, John Beilein and Rick Pitino which are I guess interesting. No idea where they're going to go

I've been kinda lowkey waiting for something like this. Get Darnold and have everyone think the Bears are going with him, then flipping him for Wilson. And yeah, they would have to know Seattle even wants Darnold before this could even go down.

Mario Edwards is re-signing with the Bears, muti-year deal. He is suspended for the first 2 games of 2021. Interesting to see what this means for Hicks.

I was wrong, apparently they now have 4M in cap space.

I actually think they were 24M over after the kicker and punter signings. LOL

I really wish we could get a resolution on Wilson so I could know what to root for. Like, if we're actually getting him, then yeah let's do every restructure and every cap saving move possible. Because of the league-wide cap issues, we're going to see a ton of quality players take 1 year deals in a good situation and re-enter the market next year. If we've got Wilson, we're a prime spot for those guys. Don't stress about losing depth because like you said we can probably replace guys for less, and maybe even upgrade while doing so. But if we're not getting a star at QB, I have little appetite for pushing current cap pain forward into future seasons. I don't want to make future seasons worse for the sake of putting a slightly better team around Teddy Bridgewater. Absolutely. Obviously, the Bears have to get under the cap in the next few days. But some of these moves can wait until there is a resolution at QB. Basically you can create space as you need it.

Should see some cuts/restructures over the weekend. It's really interesting because with the cap constraints that every team is facing, you can probably upgrade some decent players while also paying them less money. I've been pro keeping Leno this offseason, but I would approach him about a pay cut first, and if not he's cut. With all the linemen out there, you can probably do better for less than the 11M Leno is due. Hicks may be able to be cut and while not necessarily upgraded, definitely can get production out of a cheaper guy. I'd imagine Fuller gets extended here soon. Whitehair, Jackson and Mack are also potential restructure candidates. Cutting Leno and Graham, full base salary restructure for Whitehair, Jackson and Mack takes you from 14M over the cap to 27M in cap space. That doesn't even include touching Hicks' deal (which gives you an extra 10.5M if cut). You need 19M in space for Wilson (if traded). And you can create more space by restructuring his base salary and extending Robinson. So, getting a starting caliber tackle and some backup depth is very doable but it makes it ugly down the line. You'd probably have to draft a tackle and more depth if you have any picks left. But the Bears can definitely do some things without completely tearing apart the current roster and while adding a top QB.

i always got that impression. at least there seemed to be some sort of connection with nagy. Worked at least 1 year with Nagy in Philly. Not sure if he's buddy buddy with the FO. Yeah, Riddick and Nagy are said to be pretty good friends. Supposedly talk quite often.

I think in most cases, Smith would NOT have 1st round value. But Seattle is interesting in that they aren't tearing everything down if they trade Wilson. They still want to try to compete. So, Smith could have more value to a team like them over say, Houston who would be in a full rebuild if they get rid of Watson. I still think that deal is too light. I feel like the Bears have to really overpay to get this deal done now.

Yeah, it won't be Mack. I've heard Fuller as a possibility. I've also heard speculation that both teams want the trade done (if at all) within the next week because Seattle would like to get a QB that the Bears don't have to give them. And free agency starts next week. Also, the Seahawks don't have a 1st or 3rd round draft pick this year, so they would have time to do draft prep on players they probably haven't even thought to look at with no day 1 pick.

I saw something about how Draft kings took down the odds for Wentz and Stafford the day before their trades went down and the Russ odds were taken down today. Is that what you are talking about? If it happens amazing but I’m not really getting my hopes up. Seems way too good to be true and I’ve been involved with way too many obsessive transaction watches that haven’t panned out. Lot of smoke around this, but all speculation right now. Betting sites taking down Wilson trade odds. Also, a couple have increased the Bears SB odds slightly (likely more due to Robinson getting tagged) Josina Anderson tweeting "Welp" and logging off Twitter for the night a few hours after tweeting about how the Bears HAVE to get a QB Apparently Akiem Hicks and maybe Anthony Miller unfollowed the Bears on Instagram or some crap. Hicks would be a potential cut or trade candidate to clear some cap room. Which could also be unrelated to a trade as the Bears have to cut like 18M more to get under the cap by next week. Sent from my SM-A115AZ using Tapatalk

Yeah. If Robinson is signed, he along with Mooney and an improving Kmet might be about the best targets Russell Wilson has ever had or pretty damn close to the best. He currently has Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Thats better than Robinson/Mooney. Sent from my SM-A115AZ using Tapatalk

I think you are reaching the point of overvaluing the QB spot, personally. I guess if I knew the cap was about to explode with a new TV deal the vision becomes clearer as they could just fill around Wilson in FA for a few years, but as things stands now, the Bears aren't necessarily in a great spot to build around Wilson. At least Watson has longer term upside based on age. I'd definitely offer more for him. Yeah that's where I stand. Like Goony's tweet says, it's one thing to give up Floyd, Trubisky and White potentially for a franchise QB. It's another to get a franchise QB and only add 1 David Montgomery level talent over the next 3 drafts. Sure you can sign FAs, and Wilson can possibly help you get good cheap ones on short term deals. And of course, you can get guys like Jackson, Mooney, Amos, and Nichols on Day 3 of the draft. But obviously, that makes things tough. Wilson is clearly good enough to put this team in contention as is, and even as the team transitions from some of their defensive veterans. But I don't know if I can say the same about 35-year old Wilson in 3 years, with those defensive guys all gone and minimal cheap talent added. And while I think Wilson is probably currently better than Watson, I'd give up more for Watson because I think he is more likely to be able to overcome that in 3 years when he's just 28.

On the OL point, I think at a certain point its fair to question if Wilson is making life harder on the OL. Most analytic minded guys will say that the QB is responsible for a great deal of sack % for example. If its 4 top 1-3 picks over the next 3 drafts... I guess the devil is just in the details. I'm slightly more concerned about net pick loss. I'd part with the 3 firsts if I got a 2nd back, for example, as the difference between say 20 to 50th in the draft is often pretty small. Three 1sts and a second is a lot different that two 1sts and two 3rds. Oh yeah, Wilson makes it much harder on his line. Sacks are actually harder to get now because teams get the ball out so quickly. He holds onto the ball and runs around which can create pressure (rusher can see him, lineman can't, rusher adjusts to QB leaving the pocket while OL trying to protect the pocket). As for the picks, I'm cool with giving up 1sts. I don't want to give up 1sts, and 2nds and 3rds. I mean, you still gotta hit on the picks, but you have to have the picks to hit on. Three 1sts and a 2nd is different from 2 1sts and 2 3rds because of that extra 1st round pick. But I'd also rather give up 3 1sts instead of 2 1sts and 2 2nds in the next 2 years, leaving your first pick in the 80s or later for 2 straight years.

Russell Wilson has won 10 games in every year of his career, except once, he only won 9 which was the only year the Seahawks missed the playoffs with him at QB. He had the Legion of Boom early in his career, with mediocre receiver talent. Then he's done it with receiver talent, but a weak defense. All the while, never having an OL. Basically, the point I'm making is that Wilson is so good that it would be pretty hard to really screw this up (in the next 3 years you'd lose picks), unless he gets injured. Doesn't guarantee a championship or even close to it, but the odds are you're making the playoffs at least 2 of the next 3 years, even if you have to transition from guys like Mack, Hicks, Quinn, Fuller on defense and not replace them with blue chip picks. Bears currently have 9 picks in the first 2 days of the next 3 drafts (potential to get another if Robinson walks this or next year). If you tell me they can keep 5 of those picks while getting a top 5 QB like Wilson, I'll take that.

I don't really see the Bears trading any of the core pieces for a QB. It kinda of defeats the purpose to gut portions of the defense to add a QB who you have to trade a bunch of top draft picks to get. I guess Fuller is a name coming up in rumors, but doesn't really make sense to me. This defense was built with guys like Fuller, Jackson, Mack, Trevathan, Hicks, Goldman and Smith. I don't see any of those guys being available unless the Bears really think Goldman can make up for the loss of Hicks. They'll have to work a bunch of stuff with cap space, but trading a bunch of draft picks for a QB means they are going for a big run at the title. Making a big run is tougher if they lose a big part of the defense, since their best means of replacing that part would be with a draft pick or spending even more money. I could see the Bears giving up Johnson or Nichols or maybe even Daniels on the offensive side (sounds like a lot of very good OGs are going to be cut). They are cheap contracts plus the Bears played significant snaps without 2 of them last year. Could be attractive to a team like Seattle who doesn't have much cap, will eat money in a Wilson deal, and need OL help + could lose their top CB who is a FA.

Whitehair was well above average once he moved to LG in the second half (of course there is a question of the quality of opponents during the win streak at the end). I'm going to need to see more from Mustipher; ideally they wouldn't go to camp next year with some competition for him. Either way, like goony, I'm definitely more confident on the interior than the tackles. With the number of cuts across the league, hopefully adding a guy like Wilson will help them attract competent players on the cheap. They have four competent guys in the middle with Mustipher, Whitehair, Daniels & Bars. If Bars is capable of sliding to RT, they've "only" need a LT to have a solid line. I'd feel a lot better if they could get an experienced center on the cheap. And no way do I want Bars starting, especially at RT. If Bars and Mustipher are your primary backups, I'd feel really good about the OL, even if Leno is manning one side. Bears absolutely have to add an early tackle in this (and probably the next) draft....assuming they actually have draft picks.

A couple things with Wilson. 1. I actually don't think where the Bears pick is a huge factor for a Wilson (or Watson) trade. In Wilson's case, he has said the teams he's willing to waive his NTC for. Dallas has the highest pick, but that would also mean letting Dak walk in a franchise tag decision they'd have to make before a trade would likely be made. The Raiders have a similar pick to the Bears. The Saints were the other team and they have an even lower pick (and no cap space). Also, we can't discount desperation. I honestly don't think anyone will beat the Bears in number of assets traded. A team like NYJ or MIA isn't going to be as willing to give up multiple other 1sts in addition to a top 3 pick. Then it just becomes a preference if Hou/Sea wants a top QB this year or a longer term rebuild with a Herschel Walker like trade haul. 2. That being said, the Bears big disadavantage is having no QB. While other teams may be hesitant to trade a bunch of assets because they have a bird in the hand with a QB and/or a high draft pick, the Bears have neither and HAVE to be desperate to give up quantity over quality. Seattle doesn't seem like a team (70-year old coach, 10-win seasons in all but 1 Wilson season, built to win now elsewhere on roster) that would be willing to just trade Wilson and rebuild right now. And if they do trade him to the Cowboys, I'd imagine it would be a sign and trade done in a couple months where Seattle gets Dak and he never sees the FA market.

I wasn't as down on Skrine as others, but that was probably the most obvious cut. He's not getting any younger and finding someone to play average nickel at less money shouldn't be that difficult. Callahan was probably better than Skrine, but the switch from Fangio to Pagano probably hurt the defense worse than the slight drop off in production at nickel. Callahan was/is much better than Skrine, but has played 10 games in 2 years in Denver. Skrine was mostly fine in 2019. He was mostly bad in 2020, and most damningly, missed like the final 6 games with a concussion. Taylor Gabriel had a similar hiatus with a concussion late in 2019 and hasn't played in the league since. There's probably a decent chance Skrine doesn't play again either.

Yeah, I don't hate Winston as an option at all. Mariota, Minshew or Darnold are basically Samoan Mitch, Mustache Mitch, and Mono Mitch. The only thing going for them is for at least 4-5 weeks Nagy would probably let them throw the ball without fear of them screwing up which seemed to be the issue with Trubisky. IDK that Winston would get that luxury. All those guys better be Glennon's to a rookie's Trubisky (Lance, Jones, or Fields seem most likely possibly with trade up).