How Tom Brady Derby Might Mean a New QB in Chicago

The Bears getting in on the $30 million a year pursuit of Tom Brady seems unlikely but the aftermath of how that situation plays out could be interesting for them

The dueling and posturing for Tom Brady seemed to take a step up during the Super Bowl, but it didn't include the Chicago Bears.

At least it didn't affect them directly, but it's possible it could.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Jon Gruden has been lobbying Brady to become a Patriot, and it's already believed Brady is going to be a target of the Los Angeles Chargers after Philip Rivers left.

Then, as if to chase teams away, a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said the Patriots are willing to pay $30 million to retain the 42-year-old Brady.

This would chase away the Bears if they had interest.

However, if the Patriots couldn't retain Brady and he went to the Raiders, it would free up Derek Carr.

Although Carr hasn't really run an RPO offense like the Bears use, he has decent mobility as a quarterback who can slide and move and could easily adapt because he reads defenses quickly.

Carr also has worked with new Bears quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo as a rookie in Oakland in 2014. Carr had number most rookie quarterbacks would covet. He threw for 21 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

In coming to the Bears, Carr would be joining one of his favorite former teammates, Khalil Mack. The two were the two key parts of the Raiders breaking their franchise's 13-year playoff drought in 2016.

Carr is coming off his best season passer rating-wise at 100.8 and his yards per attempt were also a career high, a very respectable 7.9. He broke the 4,000-yard mark for the second straight year.

However, it wouldn't be easy from a Bears standpoint because the Raiders aren't just cutting Carr and would want something in a trade. Carr is not a free agent, and his deal isn't up until 2023. The Raiders next year could be through with him with only a $2.5 million dead cap hit. But they'd have a $5 million and $2.5 million dead cap hit if they traded or cut Carr this year.

Regardless, this would be a difficult move for the Bears to make because Carr had a deal averaging $25 million a year. The Bears probably are more likely to give Trubisky that kind of money than some other team's quarterback at this point, based on the devotion GM Ryan Pace has and continues to show.

At least it's another option to consider in what seems a high pile of similar building alternatives for the Bears.

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