Jay Glazer is an NFL insider whose commentary is always worth dig🔯ging into for a feel of the league landscape.
But when he talks about the Chicago Bears, he especially gets my full and undivided attention. So when fielding a question about where the Bears are positioned in the upcoming offseason quarterback carousel, I had to give it a couple of spins to make sure I nailed it down. That’s because Glazer’s commentary on the Bears, which starts at the 3:58 mark, is something you’ll want the sound on to hear:
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— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX)
Thꦰere are some worthwhile takeaways here. Big oneღs.
For starters, there’s the expectation that the Bears will be “big players” on the quarterback market. Part of it is because they know they have to be: “[The Bears] know their entire offseason, their future, really, hinges on them finding the right guy.” Glazer also discusses a desire to team a quarterback with Head Coach Matt Nagy for the foreseeable future. Essentially, what Glazer offers up is that the Bears want to take a big swing with the intent of pairing the current head coach with a long-term quarterback option. Finally, a sense of direction!
As for the Bears’ options, Glazer offers this: “If I’m them … whatever I think the top three options are, I’m doing everything I can to get those three options. The first option is Deshaun Watson. That’s the guy. Of anything out there, Deshaun Watson would be my top target. I would trade so much for a guy like Deshaun Watson. Then you have a guy like Matthew Stafford, who I think would probably come in after that. And there’s a couple of those draft picks I would be really interest in.”
Obviously we’d love to see the Bears take a serious run at Watson, who seems more likely to be traded by the day. Stafford would be a much better option than the Bears have had in a long time, too, though he is obviously much older and currently controlled by a division rival. And in the draft, although the Bears pick at 20, there’s certainly the potential slide up a bit to snag a ඣpreferred option.
Is this informed speculation? Glazer is as plugged in as any NFL insider. A wink and nod from Glazer via GM Ryan Pace? Those two seem to have a decent working relationship. Is it a shot in the dark connecting big city, desperate team, and obvious names? Could be. But we already knew the Bears would take a big hack when addressing the quarterback position this offseason. Pace said as much in the team’s season-ending press conference. And while that could have been dismꩲissed as lip service, perhaps hearing this from Glazer means an actual big ꦡswing at a proven quarterback is more realistic than some might have previously imagined.
There will clearly be plenty of options. Don’t screw it up.
Brett Taylor contributed to this post.
