Chicago Bears News: 3 thoughts on Jimmy Graham signingon March 17, 2020 at 11:00 am

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Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears made their first unofficial move on Monday by agreeing to terms with a veteran tight end.

The first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period was a wild ride — not for the Chicago Bears, but a wild ride, nonetheless. We saw some massive trades and rich deals agreed upon within just hours of the day getting started.

One of the most talked about transactions will be the Houston Texans agreeing to send arguably the league’s top wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for David Johnson. The Cardinals included a second-round pick and both teams swapped fourth rounders as well.

While the entire football world was left scratching their heads over such a bizarre move, Ryan Pace and the Bears stood pat for a few hours.

More trades and contracts were agreed upon throughout the day, and still, the Bears didn’t do much of anything. For a little while, there was some excitement around the Bears and Teddy Bridgewater, but that ultimately died down.

It wasn’t until later in the afternoon and early evening that the Bears made their first move. To say the least, it was a bit of a surprise.

Pace agreed to terms with veteran tight end Jimmy Graham, who was recently released by the Green Bay Packers. The 33-year old comes to the Bears at a time where they are starved at the position, but was Graham the answer? I provide my immediate reactions to the deal.

Next: No. 1: He got what?

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Chicago Bears: Expect the unexpected at the quarterback positionon March 17, 2020 at 12:00 pm

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If you were on social media yesterday, one thing was clear: Expect the unexpected when it comes to the Chicago Bears quarterback situation.

All offseason, for the Chicago Bears, the question has been asked: Who’s going to be the quarterback that general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy bring in to compete with Mitchell Trubisky.

And all offseason, multiple names have been floated around. Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, Andy Dalton, Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, and Cam Newton. However, on day one of free agency, this were particularly interesting.

The Bears were rumored to have been talking to Teddy Bridgewater, giving him a deal that would make him the team’s starter. Of the six names listed above, only Carr, Bridgewater, and Newton would be the ones to come and immediately dethrone Trubisky.

Then, in a matter of just a few hours, more news came out about the Bears quarterback search. The reports were that they were out on Bridgewater and were looking at options such as Foles and Dalton.

So what does the Bears going from potentially locking Bridgewater down to trying to work out a trade for Dalton or Foles really mean? It means to expect the unexpected. There’s no knowing what will happen with the Bears quarterback situation.

Keeping your options open is something that should always be done, however, with the way things are going, Pace could end up messing up this entire situation and then just decide to draft a rookie as “competition” for Trubisky.

And that would mean the Bears 2020 season would hinge on Trubisky which is an issue because they’d be wasting another year of guys like Khalil Mack, Leonard Floyd, Allen Robinson, Eddie Jackson, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, and Kyle Fuller.

Pace and Nagy both know that they’re on the hot seat going into 2020. A winning season means that both are back in 2021. But lose and the Bears are going to have a new general manager and head coach which means that they’ll be rebuilding again.

Next: Chicago Bears Rumors: Team talking to Teddy Bridgewater

Over the next few weeks, between free agency and the NFL Draft, we’ll have a much clearer idea of what the Bears 2020 season could look like. If the Bears are serious about being playoff contenders in 2020, then fixing the quarterback position is the biggest priority. However, with the all mixed information that came out on day one, it’s clear that as of right now, you should expect the unexpected.

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Chicago Bears: Ranking 3 quarterback trade optionson March 17, 2020 at 1:00 pm

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Chicago Bears, Mitchell Trubisky, Matt Nagy

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The Chicago Bears are in the market for another quarterback. We know which ones are available in free agency but there are some via trade to be had too.

The Chicago Bears need help at the quarterback position. Mitchell Trubisky was not able to get it done for them in 2019 and it doesn’t look like he is going to be their guy long term. They still managed to go 8-8 with Trubisky at the helm but that roster is capable of doing so much more. They need a quarterback who can come in and help the offense get so much more out of themselves. Their defense is too good for an offense that isn’t capable of scoring.

We all know what quarterbacks are available via free agency. They have plenty of options in that regard if that is the route they wanted to go. There were rumors that they were going to sign Teddy Bridgewater to a deal but it hasn’t happened yet. Things have been developing since the beginning of yesterday which is exciting but anything can happen minute by minute. What we do know, is that the Bears need to do something to give themselves a chance going into the 2020 season.

Another route they could go is the trade route. There are a few options that are publically known to be on the market. There have been some commitments via free agency but no quarterbacks have been traded yet. The Bears could be in the market to acquire one of those guys. Obviously, like anything else, there are better options than others. Well, this is a ranking of the three best options in the best order:

Next: Andy Dalton

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Chicago Bears actions an indictment of Mitch Trubiskyon March 17, 2020 at 1:30 pm

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On the first day of free agency, the Chicago Bears’ actions spoke louder than words.

At the NFL Combine, Chicago Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace seemed to give Mitchell Trubisky a vote of confidence. He clearly and unambiguously declared Trubisky was their starting quarterback. Or did he? Well, if the Bears’ actions on the first day of the legal tampering period were any indication, the answer is an unequivocal ‘no.’

While Pace may have publicly stated their support, there were a couple of huge qualifiers to those comments.

First, despite the public support, they still had not picked up his fifth-year option, which is a very telling statement in and of itself. Rather than pick it up immediately after the season like they did with Leonard Floyd, Pace indicated they were going to wait before making any decision.

Second, ‘of course, he was the starter.’ At the time, he was the only quarterback on the roster — and still is. However, that could change very quickly in light of the Bears’ flurry of activity around the position yesterday.

The day began in wild fashion with rumors that the Bears were in the process of working out a deal with free-agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. After an hour or so, new reports surfaced that Bridgewater would not end up in Chicago, but that the Bears had turned their focus to Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. Still, another report surfaced that the Bears were exploring every quarterback option out there, suggesting they were looking not only at free agents but also trade options.

Signing a player like Bridgewater would most certainly signal the end of the Trubisky era. The Bears would not be paying him approximately $21 million to come and be a backup. While bringing in Foles or Dalton wouldn’t send as definitive a signal, both of those players would win a true, open, and honest quarterback competition with Trubisky. And while they wouldn’t necessarily cost as much as Bridgewater, it would cost enough to where it would be unlikely the team would bring them in to be backups.

Next: Ranking Bears’ quarterback trade options

If the Bears were truly committed to Mitch as their starter next year, they’d have already signed a guy like Case Keenum or Nate Sudfield (both of whom have already signed) to come in and be a true backup. The idea that the Bears simply want “true competition” doesn’t seem to be the case. You don’t pay the kind of money it would cost to bring in Bridgewater, Foles or Dalton to simply light a fire under Mitch. This is clearly a case where actions are speaking louder than words.

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Chicago Blackhawks: 24 team playoffs would get them inon March 17, 2020 at 2:00 pm

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The Chicago Blackhawks are officially back in the playoff mix if the NHL ends the season with the proposed 24 team playoff format.

Before the National Hockey League was forced to pause, the Chicago Blackhawks looked to be headed to a third straight spring without a Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. Bad management is the sole reason for that after a decade of being one of the league’s best teams. Now, after this season, they will look for a way to be a playoff team with this core once again. With that said, the season’s pause might allow them to be a playoff team this year after all.

There is a proposal on how to handle the playoffs when the season resumes that include a 24 team format. That would include the Chicago Blackhawks. Darren Dreger, one of hockey’s top insiders, has confirmed that this is a strong option. They would be in the playoffs if they went that route and eliminated the bottom seven teams. Obviously, playing at all is a best-case scenario for the NHL but the Hawks would then have a chance to host playoff games.

No matter how they formatted the top 24 playoffs, Chicago would have a fighters chance to make some noise. Players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Corey Crawford all have the experience necessary to at least give them a fighters chance. If any of the top teams are awarded byes, the Blackhawks would certainly not be one of those teams. They are going to have to play an elite team in every round they could possibly get to.

The Blackhawks are not a very good team, but they have stars on the squad that are the only reason they would get into a format like this. They would probably be viewed as that borderline playoff team that “nobody wants to play”. They still have great players and the United Center is a very difficult building to play in as the road team during the playoffs. Once that National Anthem gets going the crowd makes it difficult for the opposition.

If there was any positive to come out of a season that was paused right before the end, it would be for a fanbase like Chicago’s to have something to cheer about. The world is a tough place right now and when the tough times are over, hockey has a chance to make people smile again. This playoff format or some variation of it would be very cool.

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Chicago Bears: Bizarre and rather ominous start to free agencyon March 17, 2020 at 3:00 pm

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 20: Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears congratulate Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the New Orleans Saints after their game at Soldier Field on October 20, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

Nothing screams “NFL free agency” like chaos, pandemonium, and uncharted territory. And the Chicago Bears have already gotten involved in the festivities.

In what was one of the more eye-opening starts to the free agency tampering period, quite a few shocking trades and big-money contracts were agreed upon. It would seem the Chicago Bears are poking and prodding around as they try to wade these muddy waters, given they have been connected to just about any free-agent quarterback and possible trade targets.

Yesterday afternoon seemed to be the beginning of the excitement, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that Chicago was, in fact, having contract discussions with Teddy Bridgewater, a top of the list free agent signal-caller. If a deal was agreed upon, there was a very high chance that Mitchell Trubisky was finished in the Windy City. You can’t pay Bridgewater $21 million a year if he’s going to be the backup.

However, that news fizzled quickly as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network countered an hour later that talks had dissolved and there were “Other QB options in play there”. What other options?

Oh, like trading for Andy Dalton or Nick Foles!

Quite the dropoff in quality, but both would provide an adequate challenge for Trubisky. Or at the very least, keep the pressure on him until he would crack, and give way to the starting job. It would be the plan that the Tennesee Titans executed in the prior offseason a la the Ryan Tannehill trade. At the very least, it’s confirming every report over the last two months that we’ve heard about regarding the Bears needing competition for Trubisky.

Both deals for either quarterback would look vastly different, but the point isn’t to discuss what those deals would look like or what would a deal with Bridgewater would look like if he had a change of heart.

We’re here to talk about the Chicago Bears riding something of a roller coaster, with no end in sight.

If they haven’t already taken Trubisky’s confidence out back behind the shed to put it down like Old Yeller, they soon will. Ryan Pace openly said that Mitch was their starter back in December.

Guess you shouldn’t believe what you’re told.

At this point, Pace knows he needs to save his job. If he lets Trubisky run the show this year, he may as well begin to pack his belongings because that’s pure negligence towards a roster he spent four years tearing down and then building back up.

But sure! Just go ahead and give Jimmy Graham $9 million GUARANTEED!

This deal is so befuddling I really have no idea what else to say. I do think there are silver linings (I think):

He hasn’t missed a game since 2015
Outproduced all 50 Bears tight ends in 2019 from a statistical standpoint
Is quite possibly the best tight end on their current roster (that felt wrong to type out)
Was technically cut by the Packers so he wouldn’t count against their Compensatory pick formula

Paying him that much money isn’t the end of the world, even though that’s money that could have been spent elsewhere. But from a fit standpoint, I have a hard time seeing the logic. I can’t tell if I find it comical or just the worst signing* of the day. It just feels so out of place. Graham has fallen off big time and moves like he’s stuck in quicksand. I don’t even think I could tell you what his role would be in Matt Nagy’s offense (just don’t have him block…or catch for that matter).

*It might be the worst signing of the day, but it’s not the worst transaction of the day (Bill O’Brien gets that distinction for ruining the Houston Texans)

Next: Chicago Sports: Best moments of the last 30 years

I can’t tell if quarantining and social distancing has made me delusional or maybe I’m starting to feel the effects of Cabin Fever, but this is one of the strangest opening days for the Bears free agency period in years. Going from a Teddy Bear to Jimmy Graham. Hard to really get a grip on the roller coaster when it has a mind of its own.

Can’t wait for more.

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Chicago Bears Rumors: Is Ryan Pace loading up for 2021?on March 17, 2020 at 4:07 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Do the Chicago Bears’ moves so far in free agency suggest they’re focused more on 2021?

The NFL legal tampering period is officially in full swing and the Chicago Bears have been heavily involved in the rumors that have been swirling throughout social media since Wednesday. However, while fans have focused on the moves that could be made, an interesting trend is developing with respect to the moves they aren’t making. Could it all suggest that general manager Ryan Pace is really gearing up for the 2021 NFL Draft? Let’s take a look at why that could be the case.

For the last day and a half, rumors have linked the Bears to Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton, and Nick Foles. And with the news that the Carolina Panthers will work with Cam Newton to seek a trade, his name has become en vogue.

However, while all the focus has been on what quarterback the Bears might add, they have been slowly accumulating compensatory draft picks through the moves they haven’t made — most notably, letting go of Nick Kwiatkoski, Nick Williams, and Chase Daniel. For a team who this year accumulated their first compensatory pick in 10 years, According to Over The Cap, they currently now have a fifth and two sixth-round compensatory picks for 2021. They also have one pick in each of the first through sixth rounds next year, likely losing their seventh-round pick from the Eddy Pineiro trade.

Right now, that would give them a total of nine picks with the possibility of adding more picks depending on what additional moves they make.

All of this is, of course, dependent on what additional moves the Bears make, as the compensatory formula takes into account the players lost and gained through free agency. In other words, bringing in a high-cost quarterback would most certainly jeopardize their current compensatory pick haul.

Perhaps the Bears aren’t sold on Mitchell Trubisky, but they may also not be sold on any of the quarterback options available via free agency or a trade. If that’s the case, it is at least conceivable that they could be trying to accumulate as much draft capital as possible to make a run at one of the high profile quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft which will include Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Brock Purdy, among others.

Next: Weird start to free agency for the Bears

We’ll have to see how the rest of free agency plays out but it’s definitely a thought worth keeping in the back of your head over the next few weeks.

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Chicago Bears: Robert Quinn signing means one thing onlyon March 17, 2020 at 5:07 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears made a big-time move on Tuesday, agreeing with pass rusher Robert Quinn.

The Chicago Bears got off to a weird start on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period. General manager Ryan Pace signed veteran tight end Jimmy Graham to a 2-year, $16 million deal to come in and help what was a major weakness in 2019.

Following the Graham signing, most fans were perplexed. I have to say, I was not thrilled.

Tuesday, though, brought new joy as a Bears fan. Pace made a couple of moves back to back which should only bolster an already-stout defense.

First, the Bears announced they were cutting ties with veteran outside linebacker Leonard Floyd. The fifth-year option would have cost the Bears $13.5 million for a guy who has failed to produce a double-digit sack season after coming to the Bears as a touted first-round pick four years ago.

At the same time, the Bears agreed to terms with former Dalllas Cowboys Pro Bowl pass rusher Robert Quinn.

The #Bears are signing pass-rusher Robert Quinn to a 5-year, $70 million contract with $30 million fully guaranteed, agent Sean Kiernan from @SelectSports tells me and @TomPelissero. A new home for the former #Cowboys star after a huge year.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020

The 29-year old Quinn comes to the Bears as a former All Pro and posting double-digit sacks four times in his career, including 11.5 last season with Dallas.

Looking at the deal, overall, it does include a potential out after the first two seasons, so this is essentially a 2-year deal and, if Quinn stands out, could end up lasting longer.

In cutting Floyd, the Bears don’t end up spending a bunch of net cash on Quinn in the immediate future, which certainly helps justify the financial aspect of it. Still, Quinn’s deal is more than anyone anticipated the Bears spending on an edge rusher.

Quinn now gets to line up opposite Khalil Mack on a front seven that also features the likes of Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith.

Oh, and let’s not forget about Bilal Nichols and Roy Robertson-Harris. Not to mention, that secondary still boasts one of the league’s top corner-safety duos in Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson.

Most did not expect Pace to make a huge deal like this, at least not with a pass rusher. While that position was a need this offseason, it wasn’t considered at the top of the priority list — at least from fans and analysts.

This move signals one thing and one thing only for Pace: He is all-in on a Super Bowl run in 2020.

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Regardless of what happens on the opposite side of the ball (and I do believe Pace will make something happen there, as well) the Bears are set up to make a Super Bowl run. Pace has made his intentions clear with bringing in Quinn.

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