Chicago Bears: Should Ryan Pace consider signing Philip Rivers?

With the Chicago Bears quarterback position in flux going into 2020, Ryan Pace has many directions he can take. Should he consider signing Philip Rivers?

Reports came out today that the Los Angeles Chargers are officially moving on from quarterback Philip Rivers. Should Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears be watching game tape to determine if they should call Rivers’ agent come “legal tampering” time?

The dead horse has been kicked over and over again, yet here we are talking about the Chicago Bears quarterback situation once again. Whether you believe in Mitchell Trubisky or not, the Bears need to make some decisions regarding the quarterback position heading into 2020.

First and foremost, Pace needs to decide if he is going to pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option. The option is only guaranteed for injury and the team could still cut him at no cost after the 2020 season (unless Trubisky sustains a major injury).

Next, Pace must decide what to do regarding unrestricted free agents Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray. Personally, Pace should move on from both of these guys and look to add actual competition to help either push Trubisky or take over if Trubisky falls on his face during the 2020 season. This has to happen no matter what and I am a Trubisky supporter.

In doing this, Pace has a couple of options. He can target a lower-cost free agent like A.J. McCarron or Case Keenum. If the team makes this move, then Pace should look to use a second-round pick or trade back and use a third-rounder instead. Names like Jordan Love, Jalen Hurts and Anthony Gordon are quarterback prospects the team could add on Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Another option for Pace is bringing in a bigger-named veteran who will cost a decent amount of money. This list includes names like Rivers, Teddy Bridgewater, possibly Andy Dalton if he is released or even the likes of Tom Brady. If Pace makes this move he will need still bring in a young quarterback as the third option. He should look to add a guy in the late rounds of the draft or even an undrafted free agent. He should not spend big and use a second-rounder.

If Pace targets an older veteran like Rivers who is more of a stop-gap quarterback than a future asset, he could both spend big and still draft a guy in the second round. This is too much capital in the position for my liking, but hitting at quarterback in this passing league is extremely important. If Trubisky is not the guy and Pace has lost faith, this is an option too.

Rivers is an interesting option for the Chicago Bears in free agency. He falls into the older veteran category. At 38 years old, he might not have many years left. That said, he seems to have plenty left in the tank. Rivers has a 64 percent completion percentage throughout his career. He has averaged nearly 4,400 yards over his last 12 seasons.

He has averaged nearly two passing touchdowns per game, but unfortunately also has averaged just under one interception per game too. In his 14-year career (12 as the starter), Rivers has only made the playoffs six times. Out of those six trips, he has only made it to the Conference Championship once.

Obviously this is a team sport, but Rivers has a reputation of folding under pressure and not stepping up in the big game. Could he turn that around though here in Chicago? Without even looking at the money, would you take him here in Matt Nagy’s system? A system he does not seem to fully fit. Does the amount of money he commands affect your decision?

Personally, I would only be okay with it if he was making less than $22 million dollars per season and the contract was no more than two to three (with an out after two) years. Will he chase the money or a ring is the question here as his current market value is reportedly closer to $28 million per year. I am going to pass on Rivers in orange and blue, how about you?