QB Andy Dalton Reveals Why He Jumped From Cowboys To Bears

"They told me I was the starter," Dalton said as he explained his decision to join the Bears

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys signed Dak Prescott, erasing any doubt of who would be the starting QB at The Star. That - and the Chicago Bears' failed efforts to trade for disgruntled Seattle QB Russell Wilson - set in motion the cogs that sent Andy Dalton from Dallas to the Bears.

And inside those cogs was one key decision-making reason.

"They told me I was the starter," Dalton said.

Dalton speaking to the media via a video conference call on Thursday, explained his decision to join the Bears, who had Mitch Trubisky as their QB last year but let him go via free agency (and he's now the Buffalo backup).

"That was one of the reasons why I wanted to come here,'' Dalton said of his starting berth. "So every conversation I’ve had has been that, so that’s the assurance that I’ve gotten."

Dalton, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with Chicago, was of course not going to be Dallas' starting quarterback. The Cowboys did, however, hope he might stay in town as Dak's backup.

Dalton played last year after Prescott was lost for the year due to injury. In 11 games, Dalton threw for 2,170 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Prior to joining Dallas, Dalton, who is a Texas native and has his family home in Dallas, spent his first nine seasons with the Bengals, making three playoff appearances. Being with the Cowboys as the team's backup quarterback, he said, helped him appreciate the next opportunity.

"I don’t take for granted the opportunity to play and to be the starter, and so that’s another reason why this is so attractive," Dalton said. "You’ve got a chance to come in and be the starter from Day 1 and to bring a lot of my experience and a lot of what I can do to this team and this organization and be really productive."

Chicago went 8-8 last season and made the playoffs, but the franchise hasn't won a playoff game since 2010. Dalton hopes he can change that, long-term.

"I’d love for this to be the last place that I play," Dalton said of Chicago. "I’d love to finish my career here and get established. For me, this is the second half of my career. I want to play really good football. I want to help this team win a lot of games."

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