February 5, 2024

The Bears Would Have To Be Baked

No one knows what the Chicago Bears are going to do.

Except the Chicago Bears.

When the Bears announced they had hired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator to replace Luke Getsy, who was fired along with almost the entire offensive staff at the conclusion of the Bears’ 7-10 season, their third consecutive playoff-less campaign, it was a surefire signal that they have made up their mind as to whether they will keep the first overall pick in the draft and take USC quarterback Caleb Williams or, for the second straight year, trade that top pick and stick with incumbent quarterback Justin Fields.

Why else would they hire a new coordinator if they don’t know?

Not even the Bears would decide to hire an offensive coordinator and then figure out what to do at QB, would they? Sweet pigskin, we hope not.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles knows. He knows that Caleb is his guy and so he hired Waldron specifically to pluck the most fruit from that long, Heisman Trophy-winning arm. Or, Poles believes trading that top pick and getting a pirate’s booty of picks and thus first and second round players over the next few years and continuing to construct the roster around Fields is just too enticing to deny and so Waldron was hired to make Fields better. Much better.

Or, is Waldron, a longtime assistant with the Seattle Seahawks, so coveted, so good, that he was hired to help Poles, and, presumably, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, make the choice? And could that choice lead the Bears to actually have someone other than Fields or Williams taking snaps next fall?

Has Poles decided, quietly, than any of the expected top quarterbacks in the April draft – North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy – are good enough, are better than Fields, and are roughly equal, that he can trade the top pick and trade Fields, bring home a jackpot of picks and still get the best quarterback? Wouldn’t that be the biggest score of all?

That’s the quandary. No one knows who will be good, who will be great, and who will get a GM and coaching staff fired.

Maybe that little voice in Poles’ ear says any of those guys, or one of those guys, is really the best.

Let’s remember though, that this stadium has a lot of seats and everyone is shouting something. And maybe one drunk fan or two is clamoring for door number four. And behind that door is Baker Mayfield.

Mr. Mayfield is a former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, and once upon a draft the top overall pick for the Cleveland Browns who has spent the past few seasons bouncing about the NFL. You’ve been charmed by his TV commercials. Mayfield played this past season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are the NFL’s most soft-spoken perennial playoff team. Mayfield had his best statistical season in 2023, yet is ranked #75 among Pro Football Focus’ free agents.

Baker, like the late Rodney Dangerfield, is dizzily handsome. He also gets no respect. What if the Bears signed Mayfield, a veteran QB who is young, healthy, mobile, has played in multiple offensive systems, is confident, been humbled, and would likely be relatively cheap? And the Bears have a lot of cap room anyway.

Sign Mayfield, trade Fields, trade the number one pick, get a bunch of draft picks in return, one of which could be used to draft Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr., save money and go to war with a QB who loves the spotlight, a solid defense, D.J. Moore and Harrison at receiver, and smiles for every baby and kitten.

Is anyone even talking about this?

No. Because most football fans are dumb.

Or maybe they’re smart.

But are they having as much fun as we are right now? --TK