Do the Bears Really Have a Chance?
The oddsmakers can read. They just don't care.
After Russell Wilson's people told Adam Schefter of ESPN the four teams he'd be in favor of playing for if traded, it became fairly apparent which places he'd be if the Seattle Seahawks lost their mind and decided to make a trade.
It's the Raiders, the Cowboys, the Saints and the Bears.
The oddsmakers for Covers.com heard this but they apparently don't believe Wilson's demands.
Chicago is not even among the top four cities for Wilson on the betting sheet when it comes to which team he'll play for in 2020.
The Seahawks remain the heavy favorite to retain Wilson at -1,200, as they should because no one in Seattle said they planned to trade Wilson.
The Raiders are the favorites if it isn't Seattle at +300. The Cowboys are at +650. The Bears are at +800.
The only team of the four with worse odds than the Bears is New Orleans at +850, and the Saints have salary cap problems so large that if they were to get Wilson he'd be practically playing with a team full of undrafted rookies because they couldn't afford anyone else. They're $66 million over the cap at last count on Overthecap.com.
The strange part is the Denver Broncos still rate better odds of getting Wilson at +500 than the Bears or the Cowboys for that matter. Denver isn't even on Wilson's list, and he has a no-trade clause.
The Houston Texans are well down the list at +1,800, even though a trade of two disgruntled quarterbacks seems only natural. This is probably because Houston's front office seems even less cooperative and in tune with its players than Seattle's, and Wilson would be unlikely to OK such a trade.
Covers.com also has lines on the chances for the Bears to come down with other quarterbacks who are perceived to be possible trade candidates.
The Bears remain well back, behind nine teams in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes at +1,700. The Texans are favored (+100) and Carolina is second (+250).
The Bears are ninth in the odds for Dak Prescott, behind heavy favorite Dallas (-3,300), New England (+650) and Washington (-1,000).
At other positions, perhaps because Chicago is where J.J. Watt's wife plays soccer, the Bears are fifth (+700) with Green Bay tied for second (+400) to get the Wisconsin native. Pittsburgh is the favorite (+150) to bring in Watt to play with his brothers.
The Bears actually ranked fifth in odds to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster, perhaps because of the chance they could lose Allen Robinson in free agency. The Bears are +650.
The Raiders are favorites at +140.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
