Carmen Vitali
NFC North Reporter
Do you know why Chicago is called the Windy City?
It’s not actually because of the weather. At the turn of the last century, the city was vying for the World’s Fair with New York. As part of a smear campaign, an editor at the New York Sun called attention to Chicago’s less-than-savory politicians, who were deemed “full of hot air” and eventually cautioned his readers to ignore the “nonsensical claims of that windy city.”
Now that we are entering “smokescreen season” at the NFL Combine with plenty of hot air to go around, it’s fitting that the Chicago Bears are the top storyline.
As you might have heard, the Bears are once again facing an enormous draft decision. They own the first overall pick for the second straight year, this time thanks to the Carolina Panthers and a trade GM Ryan Poles made a week after last year’s combine. It makes Chicago the first team to have the No. 1 pick for a second time after trading it away the prior year, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
This year is different, though.
The quarterback class is better. The Bears’ roster is better. Chicago has more than $80 million in available cap space.
If they stick with Justin Fields, they’ll have to commit a lot of money to him — and soon. If they draft a young talent like Caleb Williams, they won’t have to pay him more than $10 million in a season until at least 2027.
Chicago also has the No. 9 overall pick and limited holes compared to last year’s roster.
Poles can take this in myriad ways — and he has kept every one of them under wraps.
The consensus is that the Bears will indeed take a quarterback first overall. But Peter Schrager says “not so fast” and the outgoing Peter King wrote in his farewell Monday morning column that “the way the wind is blowing” leans toward Chicago keeping Fields.
Windy City, am I right?
The Bears have every incentive to indicate that they’re strongly considering keeping Fields….
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/bears-remain-at-center-of-rumor-mill-but-a-qb-decision-likely-isnt-immiment
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Publish date : 2024-02-27 18:24:51
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