Russell Wilson has no aversion to leaving the Seattle Seahawks, if weeks of reports and leaks from the quarterback’s own field are to be believed. And now, one of Wilson’s four favorite landing sites, the Chicago Bears, allegedly made switching to the superstar flag his top priority in the off-season of 2021. Does that mean there is likely to be an agreement? Of course. But it certainly means that there is a growing belief that Wilson can, in fact, be pulled out of Seattle. And anyone who has followed the Bears’ QB carousel in recent years knows that Chicago would probably be more inclined than anyone to pay a premium for the former Super Bowl MVP.
What, exactly, could the Bears offer the Seahawks? The truth is that they are not exactly loaded with elite assets. If general manager Ryan Pace really keeps Seattle on the phone, he is likely to need to package several first-round draft choices with one, if not two, of his best chips. The most logical chips at your disposal? Here’s a look:
Remaining contract: Two years, $ 17.3 million ($ 5 million guaranteed)
Savings for bears in 2021, if negotiated: $ 1.33 million
Make sure that Bellows would be a side-throw, rather than a centerpiece of an exchange. At 32, with no more than 11 starts to a single season in his career and three different employers over the past three years, the former Eagles’ highlight would merely satisfy Seattle’s need for a new, even if short-term. But his inclusion would not be entirely insignificant, as he can offer at least one useful initial experience and can be cut without much penalty after 2021. In the first race in Seattle, he would be better off than in Chicago in 2020.
Remaining contract: One year, $ 12 million ($ 0 guaranteed)
Savings for bears in 2021, if negotiated: $ 10.5 million
A few years ago, his name would have had much more weight in trade negotiations. Now, with 31 and two seasons removed from the All-Pro honors, he is more in for a one or two-year lease to renovate the interior. The Bears, to be frank, can benefit more from the farewell, since their departure would open up a large piece of space for the cap. But the Seahawks are always looking to solidify their defensive front, and Hicks would still represent an upgrade in the defensive tackle. Like Foles, he would have to be paired with a handful of high choices.
Remaining contract: Four years, $ 102.5 million ($ 16.7 million guaranteed)
Savings for bears in 2021, if negotiated: $ 5.2 million
Bears fans may scoff, but if breaking up with Mack meant bringing Russell Wilson to Windy City, do you really think Pace (and most of Chicago) wouldn’t pull the trigger? Newly 30, the fierce edge rusher could still have half a decade of Pro Bowl production in the tank, but that’s also why it would bring so much value to a deal. Seattle would certainly adopt a talent of its caliber for a defense in transition, while Chicago would save more than $ 75 million from 2022-2024 by scrapping its mega-contract.
Remaining contract: Four years, $ 63.9 million ($ 11.5 million guaranteed)
Savings for bears in 2021, if negotiated: $ 2.3 million
Quinn secured a heated free agent market in 2020, but it’s still a small wonder that he landed a five-year, $ 70 million deal with the Bears at 29. A hurried traveler at this stage in his career, he would be nowhere near as attractive as Mack, but at least he would be the best pressure man of the Seahawks in years. This helps him to have no guaranteed money beyond 2021, making him a low-risk, high-stakes bet for the short term, if not a potential future commercial chip for Seattle.
Remaining contract: One year, $ 20 million ($ 0 guaranteed)
Savings for bears in 2021, if negotiated: $ 11 million
Like Hicks, Fuller may have demanded a legitimate trade market a few years ago, when the former first round player won consecutive Pro Bowl nods and even posted a season of seven interceptions. Chicago would still be better off keeping it, but with great success in 2021 and the free agency in 2022 approaching, it is expendable. For the Seahawks, it would represent an instant solution on the curve, where Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar could go elsewhere. At 29, he is still young enough to gain an extension as well.
Remaining contract: Three years, $ 5.3 million ($ 900,000 guaranteed)
Savings for bears in 2021, if negotiated: (- $ 228,000)
Why would the Bears deal with their second round just a promising season in their career? Because they want Russ. At just 21 years old and fresh out of a debut year in which he averaged more than a pass saved in a game, Johnson has the advantage of being the longest-running number 1 on the outside. That’s exactly why he has more value than probably everyone, except Mack here. He would be a young, cheap addition in a position of need, and with Fuller and Eddie Jackson in town, the Bears would not be destroying his high school by sending him away.