Don’t look now, but the Chicago Bears might actually stand a chance in landing star quarterback Deshaun Watson. Granted, it’s still not a very high chance, but it’s a chance nonetheless.
Which is big considering that Watson, who officially requested to be traded from the Houston Texans, has a say in where he ultimately lands. That comes courtesy of a no-trade clause in his new contract signed last offseason.
When discussing potential landing spots for Watson, many don’t peg the Bears as serious contenders. Which doesn’t have to do with what they’d be willing to give up — see the Khalil Mack and Jay Cutler trades — so much as it has to do with Watson’s no-trade clause.
Many question whether Watson would entertain the idea of heading to the Bears, an organization where the general manager that passed him over in 2017 still resides.
But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who appeared on Waddle and Silvy on Thursday, Watson wouldn’t rule out being traded to the Bears for any reason. And that includes Ryan Pace not only foolishly passing over Watson but not really giving him the time of day during the pre-draft process.
I asked @AdamSchefter in many different ways if Watson would rule out the #Bears for any reason including what happened in 2017…and Schefty repeatedly said no.
Gives the Bears a chance in the sweepstakes.— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) January 28, 2021
Bears fans all know the story of that fateful NFL draft in 2017. Pace traded up one spot to select Mitchell Trubisky and wound up passing over two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now.
If Watson doesn’t have any qualms about joining a franchise to overlooked him four years ago, then the Bears need to do everything they can to land the team’s first real franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman.
The Bears aren’t shy about trading draft capital to land a star talent, as evidenced most recently by trading two first-round picks for Mack in 2018. And they’re one of three teams that has already called the Texans about their interest in Watson. So the interest is there.
It certainly helps that Pace and head coach Matt Nagy’s jobs are on the line in 2021, which means they essentially need to make a splash at quarterback this offseason. And there would be no bigger get than Watson, who should’ve been a Bear from the start.
[listicle id=467043]
