The Chicago Bears are rumored to make acquiring New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo their top offseason priority.
This offseason is critical for Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace. The Bears are facing a long uphill climb from a 3-13 season and three consecutive last place finishes in the NFC North. Jay Cutler’s days as the Bears quarterback appear to be numbered so one of the top priorities this offseason will be finding the next quarterback of the future. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports that the Bears plan to go hard after New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
"The Chicago Bears will make a strong, concerted effort to acquire quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The Illinois native is far and away their top offseason priority."
The quarterback position this offseason will be the most interesting market to watch. There are no fewer than half a dozen teams who will be in the market for a quarterback including the Bears, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans just to name a few. There aren’t that many interesting names hitting free agency. And rightfully so. It’s rare for a franchise type of quarterback to hit the market. Teams have a tendency to hang on to those guys. With no “sure-fire” franchise quarterbacks in the NFL draft, the trade market is expected to be tight. That is sure to drive up the asking price for Jimmy G, who has shown promise in very limited opportunities in New England.
Ryan Pace is still a relatively young GM, so I’m going to provide him with a little free advice from someone who’s been following the Bears very closely for a long time. It would be a HUGE mistake to trade the farm for Jimmy Garoppolo. Recent history tells us this. Not-so-recent history reaffirms this. Dealing with Bill Belichick is icing on the cake that tells us to stay away.