Chicago Bears: Foles contract suggests team should draft a QB

With details of Nick Foles’ contract released, the Chicago Bears might want to draft a quarterback.

Approximately two weeks ago, the Chicago Bears pulled off a trade for Super Bowl champion and Most Valuable Player, Nick Foles. At the time, the deal could not be made official, and there were many opinions about the trade with most thinking the Bears got the short-end of it.

But Foles has since gotten his physical and signed his new contract. As a result, the details of the deal have been announced and are much more favorable than originally thought. However, there were a couple of interesting nuggets flowing from the restructuring of his deal, which suggests Ryan Pace might want to invest in a quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft.

First, while he will still make $24 million ($21 million guaranteed), he has the ability, with performance incentives, to earn an additional $6 million per year. Moreover, every $1 earned through incentives increases his following year’s salary. Furthermore, Foles has the option to opt-out after each of the next two seasons.

In other words, Foles is betting on himself to have a big year in 2020. While it certainly suggests he thinks he’ll ultimately be the starter, it also raises the distinct possibility that Foles will look to leave after next year if he has the kind of season he expects.

If Foles, who is in a perfect situation, can resurrect a lifeless Bears’ offense next year, there will likely be significant interest in him next offseason. Of course, the Bears could choose to re-sign him, but they could decide the price is too high.

If so, they could find themselves in need of another quarterback for the second straight offseason. Again, if Foles has that kind of season, it almost certainly means the end of Mitchell Trubisky‘s time in Chicago. So who would they go to?

Well, bringing in a free agent quarterback is a risky proposition. It is much better to draft and develop one in your system. However, the Bears don’t currently have that on their roster. Tyler Bray might be under contract, but he is not a realistic option.

Therefore, if the Bears want to ensure they are not searching for another quarterback in 12 months, they would be wise to draft one this year and let him develop in Matt Nagy’s system.

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