Bears: Underrated reason Deshaun Watson should come to Chicago

The Chicago Bears desperately need a quarterback. Deshaun Watson is an elite quarterback who has officially requested a trade from the Houston Texans. In a perfect word for Bears fans, these two would join forces to right the wrong of the 2017 NFL Draft and solve the team’s quarterback problem which has existed in perpetuity since the days of Sid Luckman.

However, as many have astutely pointed out, the Bears are not the most desirable trade partner, at least from the Texans perspective. That is because the Bears currently own the No. 20 overall pick which would not allow them to draft Watson’s replacement this year.

Sure the Bears could offer future No. 1 picks but there’s no guarantee those will higher, especially since the goal of bringing Watson to Chicago would be to draft No. 32 overall. The other thing to consider is the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins (the two rumored front-runners) can offer future picks as well, but can also give the Texans picks in the top five to potentially grab a quarterback like Zach Wilson or Justin Fields.

Here’s the thing though. Watson has a no trade clause, so he has some control over where he goes. Yes, the Texans could call his bluff and force him to sit out, but they obviously don’t want to do that, so why not get a massive haul back instead of having you franchise quarterback disgruntled on the bench. The latter does not make you a better team, while the former is at least a potential path out of this mess.

The next logical question is does Watson want to come to Chicago? Rumors are the aforementioned Jets and Dolphins are his preferred destinations. There is also the not so flattering history with Ryan Pace in which he didn’t even give Watson the courtesy of a sit down dinner like he did with Mitch Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes.

The underrated reason Deshaun Watson might want to come to the Chicago Bears.

If Watson can put that aside, there are a number of reasons he should come to Chicago. Of course, he would instantly be a legend in one of the largest markets in the country. Yes, he would get to play with an above average defensive unit. And if he were able to deliver a Super Bowl to the city, he would be immortalized in way not seen since Michael Jordan or Derek Jeter.

However, there is another reason he might want to come to the Bears — and that is moving to the NFC — which could make his path to the Super Bowl a little easier.

If he stays in the AFC, he’ll have to go through a lineup of quarterbacks that includes Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, and likely Trevor Lawrence, who has been called the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck.

On the other hand, while the NFC boasts legends like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers, at least one of them (Brees) is reportedly likely to retire this year, and Brady and Rodgers are closer to the end than the beginning of their careers. That leaves Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott as his toughest quarterback competition.

If I’m Deshaun Watson, I’ll take my chances with the NFC group over the AFC group over the next five years.