Getty Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy.
Fans of the Chicago Bears had been floating high on a Russell Wilson cloud for the last two weeks, but the team’s move Tuesday afternoon brought them all crashing down to reality in a hurry. The Bears signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton to a one-year, $10 million deal with $3 million in incentives included on Tuesday, as first reported by NFL insider Adam Schefter, who reported shortly after that the team’s pipe dram of acquiring Wilson was about over.
According to Schefter, Chicago made “a very aggressive pursuit” of Wilson, but were told by the team he wasn’t being traded.
Chicago made “a very aggressive pursuit” of Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, per sources, and the Bears were told that Seattle is not trading him at this time.
The Bears were one of four teams Wilson’s agent named as a place of interest. Now Chicago has an agreement with Andy Dalton.
Now, the Bears have added yet another immobile veteran to the fray to join Nick Foles, making the likelihood that Chicago selects a quarterback in the upcoming draft all the more likely.
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Fans & Analysts React to Andy Dalton Signing
Here’s a brief smattering of responses from analysts, with Bears general manager Ryan Pace a frequent target. WARNING: several responses that follow contain some NSFW language, so proceed at your own risk:
Allen Robinson seeing the Bears sign Andy Dalton
The #Bears could have had Andy Dalton last offseason for $7 million and save a 4th-round pick.
Instead, they trade for Foles and proceed to spend $10 million on Dalton the very next year, anyway. That’s just pathetic management at that point.
Chicago Bears have 3 paths.
1) Foles gets traded.
Dalton backs-up “Lance/Wilson/Fields.”
2) Pace is willing to put his job in the hands of Andy Dalton w/ no ARob. (Unlikely.)
3) McCaskey went silent on Pace’s contract bc he’s extended. Allowing Pace to play the long game.
@AdamSchefter Kordell Stewart
Rex Grossman
Craig Krenzel
Chad Hutchinson
Jonathan Quinn
Kyle Orton
Brian Griese
Jay Cutler
Todd Collins
Caleb Hanie
Josh McCown
Jason Campbell
Jimmy Clausen
Matt Barkley
Brian Hoyer
Mike Glennon
Mitchell Trubisky
Chase Daniel
Nick Foles
Andy Dalton
Lord, why?
And, of course, responses from fans were swift, sometimes hilarious, and usually laced in a devastating reality:
@zGuz @AdamSchefter Are we ever going to get a great Qb
ANDY DALTON ARE YOU KIDDING ME !?!??!?
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE !?!?!?!
The Bears:
SB champ Andy Dalton/
Russell Wilson Nick Foles QB
competition
Checking in on Halas Hall …
@AdamSchefter I hate this fucking team
And, of course, the Bears were trolled mercilessly by their biggest rivals, the Green Bay Packers, and their fans to the North:
Former Bears’ All-Pro Lance Briggs also weighed in, summing up the thoughts and feelings of an entire fan base:
🤦🏾♂️
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Bears HC Matt Nagy Said This About the Team’s QB Search…
“Every quarterback leads in different ways,” Bears head coach Matt Nagy said in early March when asked what traits he is looking for in a starting quarterback. “Every guy has their own way that they do it, but they all lead in a certain way and they multiply the players around them. I’d say leadership, decision-making and if you have some versatility as a quarterback with your legs, great. If you don’t, no problem. We can work around it.”
One-and-a-half out of three ain’t bad, I suppose. As a 10-year veteran, Dalton has certainly been a leader in this league, but his decision-making has been suspect at times, and he’s nowhere near mobile. Thus, as it stands, it’s looking more and more like the Bears are going to look to the upcoming draft to find a quarterback.
“It’s a critical position for us … every single thing is on the table,” Pace said just a few weeks ago. “I do like this staff we’ve assembled to attack that together. We’ve added some guys even in recent days that can help us as we evaluate that position. We know the importance of it. We know that’s a priority as we go into the offseason. That’s stating the obvious, and I’m just excited about attacking it.”
With Foles and Dalton currently listed on the team’s roster, the position feels anything but attacked in Chicago — and clearly, the fans aren’t happy.
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