Chicago Bears: We can stop talking about Eli Manning, Philip Rivers

There are two popular quarterback names which Chicago Bears fans can stop talking about now, and both for different reasons.

It is no secret that Mitchell Trubisky may be on his last leg with the Chicago Bears. General manager Ryan Pace made it clear at the season-end press conference that he would ride with Trubisky into 2020, but there is no commitment beyond this year, yet.

Many fans have had their fun predicting which quarterbacks, if any, the team would bring in over the offseason. The idea is that Chicago could use another guy to come in and not only challenge Trubisky, but maybe help in his development.

Names like Tom Brady, Andy Dalton, Nick Foles, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers have all been mentioned amongst the fan base — along with a few others. Some quarterbacks may make more sense than others, too, if you’re looking at how they’d fit with the newer coaching additions.

Two names, in particular, have been linked not with any of the Bears’ newest coaching staff, but with each other — for the last 16 years.

Yes, I’m talking (Eli) Manning and Rivers, who were part of a draft day trade back in 2004 which saw them end up with their one and only franchise, respectively.

Today, it was announced that Manning would retire on Friday during a press conference he is set to hold. The 2-time Super Bowl winning quarterback could have been an option for Chicago (a bad option, in my opinion) but, with this news, that’s off the table.

Rivers, meanwhile, has moved his family to Florida, which means his next move isn’t too hard to guess. For a little while, he’s been linked to Bruce Arians, and could end up being the next quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With he and his wife focused solely on their kids and surrounding family at this point in his career, there is simply no way he would wind up in Chicago.

Manning is calling it a career, while Rivers is poised to continue on at the age of 38, in search for that elusive one, lone, final chance at a Super Bowl.

For the Bears, though, Pace still has plenty of options at the position to help bolster his quarterback room and assist him in a last-ditch effort in developing the former no. 2 overall pick in Trubisky.

There are several names, both in the draft and free agency, that fans have clamored for over the last few months. If you’ve followed our content here, you know we’re high on a guy like Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon. If you’d like to see the Bears go the free agency route, on the other hand, maybe, just maybe, they have a shot at Brady.

Whatever Pace decides to do, it’s clear he has many options. It’s up to him to make the right decision — this time.