SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 29: Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up prior to a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at CenturyLink Field on August 29, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)The Chicago Bears have been the franchise mentioned the most for a Russell Wilson trade as of late. The NFC North franchise is reportedly prioritizing a blockbuster move at the quarterback position.
Wilson, meanwhile, reportedly has the Bears on his list of four preferred trade destinations.
“I expect the Chicago Bears to at least take their shot here because a source told me Russell Wilson likes that they have an emerging offensive line, a good offensive-mind in Matt Nagy, and an intriguing market in Chicago,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter.
Longtime NFL insider Peter King isn’t buying into the hype, though.
King shot down the idea of the Bears making a blockbuster move for Wilson in his weekly column. He has a tough time imagining the Bears putting together the kind of offer it will take to land Wilson.
Here’s what King wrote about the Bears and the quarterback situation:
For a second, let’s be real. Short of a miracle, the Bears are screwed. The reports last week that the Bears will go hard after Russell Wilson left me asking: “With what trade chips, exactly?” Why would Seattle incur a $39-million cap hit for 2021 by trading Wilson to the Bears for a package including (presumably) edge rusher Khalil Mack, quarterback Nick Foles, the 20th overall pick this year, and Chicago’s first-round pick next year, among other things? Seattle currently has one pick in the top 125 choices in this year’s draft (56th overall). How do the Seahawks find a QB-of-the-future hope with, say 20 and 56 this year, and no first-round pick next year? Seems like a futile pipe dream, that the Bears would have much Seattle GM John Schneider would find equitable.
I’ve thought for some time that the Bears will be left out of the prime QB stakes. Chicago’s holding the 52nd and 83rd overall picks this year, and if the first round comes and goes without Wilson or Deshaun Watson coming, the Bears should pursue Las Vegas backup Marcus Mariota. I don’t know if he can fulfill the promise of pre-draft 2015, but he sure looked good in his brief trial with Vegas last season.
Welp, that’s certainly not what Bears fans want to hear.
Mariota could be an intriguing option, though. We’ve seen a former first-round pick in Ryan Tannehill thrive on a new team, perhaps the same could happen with Mariota.
