Stephen Brashear / Associated Press
The Chicago Bears made a massive offer to Seattle Seahawks for quarterback Russell Wilson before hiring Andy Dalton at a free agency on Tuesday.
It was reported Wednesday at Dan Patrick Show that Chicago offered Seattle three first-round picks in the draft, a third-round pick and two entries in exchange for Wilson.
No deal came to fruition, however, resulting in the Dalton Bears signing for a one-year contract, $ 10 million with $ 3 million in incentives, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter noted that the Bears made a “a very aggressive chase “from Wilson, only to be informed by the Seahawks that they were not negotiating.
The NFL insider was previously informed by Wilson’s agent that the Bears, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders were the only teams with which the quarterback would accept an exchange.
If the Seahawks actually declined a commercial package with three first-round options, it suggests that they simply did not want to part with their player from the franchise.
The 32-year-old has been one of the top defenders of the NFL since joining the league as a third round choice in 2012.
The Wisconsin product has not lost a game during his career and has a 98-45-1 regular season record. He was named Pro Bowler seven times, took the Seahawks to the playoffs eight times and reached two Super Bowls, winning one in 2014.
Wilson he was also elite from a statistical point of view, completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 33,946 yards, 267 touchdowns and 81 interceptions during his career to go along with 4,506 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.
The last season was one of the best in Wilson’s career, with him completing 68.8 percent of his attempts for 4,212 yards, the best of his career with 40 touchdowns and 12 choices.
The Bears are probably just a first division defender to be a contender for the Super Bowl, and Wilson would undoubtedly have met his greatest need.
Given all the success the Seahawks have had with Wilson over the years, it’s easy to see why they would hesitate to part ways.
The Bears preferred Dalton, who had his moments as a substitute for the injured Dak Prescott last season, going 4-5 in nine matches and completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,170 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Dalton is not the worst option, as evidenced by Cincinnati Bengals’ five consecutive appearances in the 2011-15 playoffs with him as a starter, but the 33-year-old certainly doesn’t make Chicago a Super Bowl team.