The Red Rifle is riding off into the sunset… or at least to The Windy City.
Quarterback Andy Dalton played an instrumental role in his lone season in Dallas by stepping into the starting role after Dak Prescott’s brutal injury in Week 5, but he’s now on his way to the Chicago Bears. Dalton has reached an agreement with that team on a one-year deal and is expected to compete for the chance to start.
Dalton went 4-5 filling in for Prescott, missing two games along the way: one for a concussion suffered against Washington and one while under COVID-19 protocol.
Dalton had been on a one-year deal in Dallas, marking a return to his native Texas after being a collegiate star at TCU and following a nine-year career in Cincinnati. His new contract with Chicago is another one-year deal worth a reported $10 million.
Former Cowboys' QB Andy Dalton is signing a one-year, $10 million deal, with the chance to earn another $3 million in incentives, with the Chicago Bears, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2021
According to Adam Schefter, the Bears had made “a very aggressive pursuit” of Seahawks passer Russell Wilson, but were told that Seattle is not trading Wilson.
“I feel like I can play, and I feel like I can help a team win,” he said after the Cowboys’ 2020 season finale, as per the team website. “Hopefully, with the film that I put out this year, people see that and value me in that way. I obviously feel like I still got a lot of good football left, and we’ll see how it all plays out.”
Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles shared quarterback duties for Chicago last season, guiding the team to an 8-8 record.
As for Dallas, Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert remain on the roster for now as Prescott’s backups heading into 2021.
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