Chicago Bears: Players to target in Allen Robinson tag-and-trade

The Chicago Bears should target Marcus Mariota in an Allen Robinson trade

Part of me is sick writing this, but it would be a total Bears move. Many folks around the league believe Marcus Mariota deserves another shot as a starting quarterback, and that his days in Tennessee were over because he didn’t quite fit their offense.

One of the well-respected folks in NFL media, Adam Rank, believes Mariota can still play in this league. If he’s right, then maybe the Bears get a dark horse starter in the former Oregon standout while also saving some cash for other positions.

Mariota’s cap hit in 2021 is just $10.7 million, as opposed to some other starters rumored to be involved in trades this offseason. Money-wise, Mariota makes a lot of sense.

But, can he actually still play?

In his one game last season, coming in for Derek Carr early on, Mariota played very well. He finished 17-of-28 for 226 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception. The big part of his game that day, though, was on the ground. Mariota ran nine times for 88 yards and a score.

If he’s gotten his legs back since his days with the Titans and is totally comfortable taking off and running again, then he’d make this Bears offense interesting. In this deal, the Bears get their presumed starter along with a second-round pick this year. If it works out, the Bears could have actually gotten a pretty fair value.