Potential Bears Tackle Interest Hinted

The rumor mill is starting to churn on free agency and the first one of any substance regarding the Bears centers around the right tackle spot.

The need for someone at this position is obvious, considering Riley Reiff was one of their best blockers last year and is unrestricted at age 34 for this season.

49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey, speaking on KNBR radio , hinted strongly at a rapid free agency decision and indicators seem to point toward Chicago.

"I'll be back at home in the Bay on Sunday night and then (his wife) Brooke and I will be waiting by the phone to hear what happens," McGlinchey told the station. "We got a lot of intel coming off of the week at the combine and all that stuff, what's going on and what we can expect to happen.

"I think once Monday hits, I'll probably have a pretty quick deal and a pretty quick decision to make and, hopefully, be signed by the first day of free agency."

The actual official signing day for free agency is Wednesday but Monday is the start of the so-called "legal tampering" period when they can negotiate.

It's obvious in San Franciso McGlinchey won't be part of the future because the 49ers have already said he is going to be priced out of the picture.

Considering the Bears have the most money available in free agency and tackle needs, they seem an obvious target as a team financially capable of quicker decisions.

"Well you certainly have to weigh all the pros and cons," McGlinchey told KNBR. “Obviously money is a huge factor.

"If one team kind of blows everybody else out of the water, it's going to be really hard to walk away from that much more money per year or total contract or whatever it is."

Love to see it. I’m praying to see McGlinchey in a Bears jersey 🙏 https://t.co/ewwxORN3rI
— Pete (@Pete_Martuneac) March 9, 2023

Then he said something else perhaps pointing the Bears' way to an even greater degree.

"Obviously most of the time when teams are in the free agent market for big money, it's usually a team that hasn't been doing so well," McGlinchey said. "So you've got to navigate the ones you believe in that have a future, and you think you could maybe be a part of building something in the future, just like I was when I got to the 49ers."

There aren't many teams in the league with better prospects for the future than a team with the most cap cash, the first pick in the draft and a rapidly rising quarterback.

Starting Monday there will be no more dot-connecting, but at the moment those connections seem to point at the Bears for the 28-year-old, 6-foot-8, 310-pound Notre Dame product.

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