Chicago Bears NFL Free Agency Sign or Pass: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Is Ryan Fitzpatrick a quarterback the Chicago Bears should look to in NFL free agency?

The Chicago Bears are going to add a quarterback by all indications. The question now is whether that is a veteran or a rookie signal caller. The issue with going the veteran route is that they would need to trade for one. Dak Prescott and Phil Rivers headline the NFL free agency class of 2021, but neither are expected to leave their respective teams.

This leaves a guy like Ryan Fitzpatrick as one of the top free agent signal callers? Should the Chicago Bears look to sign Ryan Fitzpatrick?

Sign

Fitzpatrick only played seven games which is the same as Nick Foles. That is convenient as you can see their stats similarly below. Foles did throw 312 balls to 267 for Fitzpatrick. Still, below you can see that Fitzpatrick was better last season.

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He had more yards, and touchdowns on fewer attempts. The Dolphins went 4-3 to the Bears 2-5. Nick Foles had a tough draw with the Colts, Rams, Saints, and Bucs defenses on his schedule. He also had the Chicago Bears offensive line in their worst stage. However, Ryan Fitzpatrick had a line that featured 3 rookies. He also did not have an Allen Robinson type receiver, as Devante Parker was banged up at times.

If Fitzpatrick can come in and upgrade what they currently have it is a no-brainer. He will not be expensive or tie them down longterm, either.

Pass

There is a reason Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to be 39 years old next year, yet will be a free agent quarterback. There is a reason that with a 4-3 record he will have a small market, and got benched  by the Dolphins.

Fitzpatrick is the definition of a stop-gap quarterback. Sure, he got for seven games, and even in those had 10 interceptions. Still, a larger sample shows us who he is. Check out how he compares to Foles below. This is per-game career-wise.

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They are nearly the same. Fitzpatrick adds something on the ground, but has a history of more turnovers.

Teams sign Fitzpatrick when they are drafting a quarterback. They know that he will not sink the ship, but also will not cause controversy. Adding Fitzpatrick is just adding an older version of Nick Foles with a little more flare.

It does not increase or decrease the Bears chances in 2021. They need to look for impact at the QB position and stay away from Ryan Fitzpatrick.