Chicago Bears Free Agency: 3 players to avoid signing
By Ryan Heckman
Quarterback Marcus Mariota
Even though I think the Bears should avoid Marcus Mariota, something just tells me he’s going to end up in Chicago. If so, fine.
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But, Mariota is not the guy you should want if the idea is to push Trubisky. Unless Mariota has some kind of revelation this year, and comes out balling in training camp, Trubisky will still be the starter.
Ever since Mariota’s knee injuries a few years back, he hasn’t been close to the same player he was trending to be. Mariota tossed 26 touchdowns in 2016, and went on to throw a combined 24 over the next two seasons — before threw just seven last year, and was benched.
Bringing in Mariota would be bringing in a guy with a similar skillset to Trubisky. Mariota is shaky under pressure, and offers little when it comes to throwing the ball downfield. In fact, comparing his net-yards-gained per attempt with that of Trubisky’s, they’re not too far off.
Do we really want one more quarterback who checks down and throws a million short passes?
This offense is built for someone who can unleash the ball down field and take chances. That’s not Mariota or Trubisky — so why bring them both together under the same playbook? It makes zero sense.
That said, if all the Bears want is a backup, and Mariota would agree to a 1-year deal worth no more than $5 million, I could manage to live with that.