Andy Dalton Signs With the Chicago Bears

The always-moving Chicago quarterback carousel seems to have found another landing spot. Adam Schefter reported this afternoon that the Chicago Bears will sign Andy Dalton to a 1-year, $10 million deal. Dalton also has the chance to earn up to $3 million in incentives.

Former Cowboys' QB Andy Dalton is signing a one-year, $10 million deal, with the chance to earn another $3 million in incentives, with the Chicago Bears, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2021

Even though Andy Dalton had a good career with Cincinnati and a short one with Dallas, he isn’t what Bears fans were looking for. With a quarterback market that consists of Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, the Bears go with Andy Dalton. After going 8-8 and squeezing into the playoffs, this isn’t a major move. This isn’t surprising though as Chicago always seems to be one step behind.

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.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2021

With Andy Dalton looking like he will be the next starter, it will be interesting to see what happens with Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles. Foles has already won a Super bowl and has shown his potential, so he should find a team. That’s not the same story for Mitch. Trubisky has been labeled as a bust ever since he was drafted. Whether it was the pressure or the lack of talent around him, he never could completely win over the city.

Bears are planning to allow Mitch Trubisky to leave and address their QB concerns via free agency or trade, per @JFowlerESPN, @DanGrazianoESPN pic.twitter.com/pMs2NuUWbP

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) March 14, 2021

Bears Future

It is difficult to predict what this Chicago Bears team will look like moving forward. Even with one of the best defenses in the league, it is impossible to win without scoring. Earlier in the offseason, the Bears put a franchise tag on Allen Robinson. This is a nice boost for the offense as Andy Dalton will be able to keep his WR1. The Bears’ second-leading receiver this past season was rookie Darnell Mooney, who will be looking to have a breakout season. One of Chicago’s main issues this past season was keeping their quarterback safe. Nick Foles was constantly put into bad situations due to his lack of mobility. Again, the Bears bring in another non-mobile quarterback.

QBs brought in by the #Bears under GM Ryan Pace:

– Signed Mike Glennon ($18M for 1 year)
– Traded up for Mitch Trubisky
– Traded a 4th for Nick Foles + his contract.
– Signed Andy Dalton

Not the greatest.

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) March 16, 2021

From the outside perspective, it seems like Chicago has no idea what they’re doing. The truth is, Ryan Pace probably doesn’t. Since Pace was hired as general manager in 2015, the Bears have only been to the playoffs twice. Sadly, it doesn’t look like they’ll even get that far next season.

Nick Newell

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