With the off-season set to begin, and the Chicago Bears seeking veteran competition, here is a ranking of the realistic options. For the sake of this argument, we’re assuming Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Dak Prescott, Cam Newton and Phil Rivers get starting gigs elsewhere.
1. Derek Carr, Raiders
Likely price: 2020 second round pick, three years of $20 million cap hits.
Carr is the best option. It isn’t even close.
While the Raiders haven’t won a lot of games in Carr’s time as the quarterback, they have regularly been in the top half of the league in passing yardage and touchdowns. Carr isn’t Patrick Mahomes, but he’s a good quarterback who may only become available because Jon Gruden’s favorite quarterback is always the one he doesn’t have on the roster.
The Raiders will likely only trade Carr if they’re able to sign someone to replace him.
2. Nick Foles, Jaguars
Likely price: cap hits of $16-$22 million for three years.
There are three very huge selling points with Foles.
- We know he can win a Super Bowl.
- He knows the offense and the coaches.
- Trading for him might bring an asset back.
There is a general thought that if the Jaguars want to trade Foles, they’re going to have to sweeten the pot with a day two draft pick. The downside, of course, is that he’s going to get paid like a starter for at least one year with $12.5 million dead cap after 2020, should the team move on.
Foles’ other big downside is that he has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. He’s definitely better suited to be a high-end backup than a 16-game starter. If he wins the job, could the Bears be confident turning back to Trubisky should Foles be injured?
