As the Eagles continue to wait for someone to make them an offer they won’t refuse for quarterback Carson Wentz, the belief remains that the two suitors for Wentz are the Colts and the Bears.
Assuming that the Bears are truly interested in Wentz (more on that in a second), why would Wentz want to play for the Bears?
After dealing with the rabid Philly fans, Wentz potentially would be setting himself up for even worse in Chicago. Plenty of Bears fans would make their best constipation faces when hearing that the deal is done, and the grace period for Wentz would be maybe one or two drives in Week One.
Then there’s the reality that seats are getting hot in Chicago. Wentz, if he fails in 2021, could see plenty of people with the team get fired. That would put a ton of extra pressure on him for the coming season, and it could result in Wentz being traded again after 2021.
Although Wentz doesn’t have a no-trade clause, why would the Bears want him if he doesn’t want to be there? A well-time call from his agent to G.M. Ryan Pace could make that point clear, and it would become the ultimate caveat emptor for the courtship of Carson Wentz.
Wentz should want to go to the Colts and only to the Colts. This creates a problem for the Eagles, since it undermines their leverage to have only one team at the table.
Still, it makes some sense for the Bears to be interested, given the other options. Unless a deal can be done for Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson, the Bears will be looking at a free-agent market headlined by (assuming Dak Prescott isn’t available) Jameis Winston. Or maybe (if he’s released by Washington) Alex Smith, who has experience in the Chicago offense from his time in Kansas City. Or Andy Dalton or Ryan Fitzpatrick or Mitch Trubisky or plenty of guys who when are their best are a far cry from Wentz at his best.
The key becomes knowing whether Wentz’s best can be brought back, or whether he is who he was in 2020. That’s the risk that someone will be taking. Before the Bears do it, they should be certain that Wentz embraces the opportunity — especially if the Bears plan to have Nick Foles looming on the depth chart behind Wentz.