Chicago Bears: Reasons why trading for Nick Foles was better than signing Andy Dalton
Holding the torch for the future
Anyone bringing up Jameis Winston and saying, he signed for pennies on the dollar compared to Foles is overlooking one glaring issue. Winston chose to go play in New Orleans. He chose to take on a backup role behind one of the greatest quarterbacks in history. Drew Brees already announced this will be his last season. Winston signed a one-year deal hoping he could be the new Teddy Bridgewater and take over a team ready to push for a Super Bowl.
Winston would not have come to Chicago and compete against Trubisky. He definitely would not have come to Chicago to compete against Trubisky for only $1.1 million dollars. Furthermore, it is a one-year deal — same as Andy Dalton’s.
Dalton has the ability to earn $7 million dollars in 2020 while being guaranteed $3 million. Unlike Winston, I do think Dalton would have come to Chicago. He also has ties to Bill Lazor. The thing is, for 2020, Dalton could actually earn more from a salary cap hit than Nick Foles. Foles is earning less than $6 million dollars from a salary cap perspective.
Next. Bears make right call with Trubisky's option. dark
What is more important is that Dalton is here on a two to three-year deal. Why is this important? Well, if Mitchell Trubisky fails, he will be out the door. Foles is not a long-term answer. This means, in this scenario, the Chicago Bears would likely be drafting a quarterback in the first or second round of the 2021 or 2022 NFL Draft (maybe both). This makes Foles a great bridge quarterback. He can lead the team for a year or two while the team looks to the future.
Whether the Chicago Bears wind up with Mitchell Trubisky under center in 2021 is yet to be determined. What I do know is that the Bears brought in the best short-term option in Foles.