Four years ago, Jimmy Clausen was a much-hyped quarterback prospect who slid to round two of the draft. Carolina’s decision to take Cam Newton with the top pick a year later made Clausen irrelevant.
But he remained with the Panthers for the balance of his rookie deal, becoming a free agent in March.
March became April, April became May, and June 1 came and went without Clausen getting a sniff. Now, with any veteran free-agent signings not affecting the formula for determining compensatory draft picks, Clausen has a job. And he’ll be working for a guy Clausen once employed.
Clausen has announced via Twitter that he has signed with the Bears. Chicago coach Marc Trestman helped train Clausen in advance of the 2010 draft, along with a better-known quarterback who has since washed out of the league.
Clausen joins Jay Cutler, Jordan Palmer, and rookie David Fales on the Bears’ depth chart. In theory, Clausen has as good a chance as any of the backups to Cutler to win the No. 2 job.