Chicago Bears: Rumors at NFL Combine eliminates these five free agent quarterbacks

Most fans of the Chicago Bears are pounding the table for a new quarterback this offseason. Rumors have been flying around all offseason with hot-ticket names. Will fans be disappointed by the type of free agent Ryan Pace signs?

We are just getting started with the 2020 NFL Draft process as the NFL Combine is going hot and heavy in Indianapolis right now. Behind the scenes, rumors and whispers are taking place regarding certain teams and players. The Chicago Bears are no exception and outside of tight end, the quarterback position is easily the most talked about here in the Windy City.

Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy have both addressed the media twice since the team’s 2019 season came to a close. Competition has been a word used often when Pace has discussed the team and although he has named Mitchell Trubisky the 2020 starter, that means little when the team only has one quarterback on the roster. What it does mean is that the team needs to add at least two quarterbacks to their roster this offseason.

A recent rumor at the NFL Combine is that the Bears will be adding an established veteran to push Trubisky and that the team wants someone with both pedigree and extensive starter’s experience.

Now, there are a couple of ways to interpret Jeremy Fowler’s comments. I for one believe this removes four big names and possibly even a fifth from Bears conversations this offseason. When I read this, to me it is saying they are not looking to bring in a quarterback to replace Trubisky. As much as I would love to see Derek Carr here in Chicago, that seems unlikely if the wording of this rumor is true. I am leaving Carr out of this as he will need to be included in a trade.

This would also likely rule out the Chicago Bears pursuing Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston and Teddy Bridgewater. None of these four quarterbacks are going to want to come to Chicago to “push” Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job. Quite frankly, I think this also eliminates Andy Dalton from the conversation. Dalton has proven enough that he should see a market to sign as a starter elsewhere.

This leaves Case Keenum and Marcus Mariota as the likely candidates Pace will be targeting in free agency. Personally, I think Pace will lean more towards Mariota even though I think that is a big mistake. Mariota is no better than Trubisky and has had more years in the league to prove himself. Keenum is the guy I think makes more sense, but he does not have a “pedigree”.

How do you interpret this rumor? Which free-agent quarterback do you want to see added to the Bears roster this offseason? Which free-agent quarterback do you realistically see Pace adding?