The Chicago Bears have a new quarterback.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the Bears on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal reportedly contains another $3 million in incentives.
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
Per Schefter, the Bears aggressively pursued a trade for Russell Wilson, but were rebuffed by the Seattle Seahawks, who have long insisted they are keeping their Pro Bowl quarterback.
Dalton is coming off a 2020 season in which he was thrust into starting duties with the Cowboys following the season-ending injury of Dak Prescott. He ended up posting 2,059 passing yards with 14 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 64.5 percent completion rate in nine starts. Dallas went 4-5 in those games.
Before his time with the Cowboys, Dalton was the longtime starter with the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, he heads to Chicago, where one of the NFL’s most chaotic QB rooms awaits.
Does Dalton clarify or muddle Bears’ QB situation?
The Bears spent the 2020 season alternating between much-maligned former second overall draft pick Mitchell Trubisky and trade acquisition Nick Foles, and it’s safe to say neither did much to inspire confidence despite the team making the playoffs.
Trubisky, now a free agent, opened the season as the starter, before getting benched in Week 3. Foles continued as the starter until getting injured in Week 10, at which point Trubisky rode out the rest of the season as the starter. Trubisky had the better numbers between the two, with a higher yards per attempt, touchdown rate and passer rating, but Foles was the only QB under contract for 2021.
Dalton seems the likely choice to start over Foles, but it’s hard to see him performing well enough for the team to avoid a situation similar to last year. Dalton’s acquisition also presumably takes the Bears out of the trade market for Wilson or Deshaun Watson, but those two may have simply never been an option for Chicago.
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