Andy Dalton was hired to be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears. The marriage, however, came only after the club attacked a more tempting companion.
The Bears attempted to acquire quarterback star Russel Wilson in a successful box office deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Chicago was empty.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday in Good morning football that GM Ryan Pace of Bears and GM John Schneider of Seahawks met in Fargo, North Dakota, presumably after attending Trey Lance’s professional day, and discussed a possible exchange for the disgruntled QB.
“They talked, offers were exchanged,” said Rapoport. “The Bears certainly made a great offer – lots of choices in the first round. The Seahawks slept on it. They argued. Yesterday, they decided, specifically coach Pete Carroll, 70, does not want to rebuild, decided that we are not negotiating Russell Wilson with the Bears. “
Only after the Seahawks made it clear that they were not negotiating Wilson did the Bears move to sign Dalton as the replacement.
It is the kind of drama that could be the first act of a successful romantic comedy.
The way each side moves forward from here will tell the rest of the story.
The Seahawks, evidently deciding that they will not negotiate with Wilson, must now work to repair the relationship with QB, which wants to have more voice in the attack and to be heard in the decision rooms.
The Bears move forward with Dalton knowing that the club was eyeing a bigger prize. The one-year deal with Dalton also points out that the relentless search for a quarterback for a long-term franchise in Chicago remains unsolved. What is not said is the likely reality that the Bears did not have enough capital to convince the Seahawks to really consider switching their star flares.
At least this time, Bears fans can’t blame Pace for not skipping his chance to try to acquire Wilson.