Tom Brady was this close to signing with the Chicago Bears

Tom Brady had numerous rumored suitors in free agency, and according to Dan Patrick he strongly considered the Chicago Bears.

During his first and almost surely only foray into free agency, Tom Brady seemed open to a lot o options. A certain points the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans were prominent rumored suitors, with a path to some other teams if they wanted to sign him. He of course ultimately chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Chicago Bears are perpetually in need of a quarterback. In a certain light, they could have been regarded as a landing spot for Brady. But after years of December games in Foxboro, warmer climates seemed to be an easy priority for him.

It’s already known the Buccaneers and Chargers were the finalists to sign Brady. But the identity of any other finalists, if there were any, has not been known and it’s moot now.

But on his show Thursday, Dan Patrick reported the Bears were the third of three finalists.

Via The Big Lead:

“Did you know that the Bears were in the final list of teams for Tom Brady?… The final list that Brady was looking at, the Chargers, the Bears, and the Buccaneers. I was told this yesterday. I said, ‘Wait a minute. The Bears?’ [The source] told me yes.”

Were the Bears actually close to signing Tom Brady?

With an intriguing set of offensive weapons and a strong defense, Brady apparently saw the Bears as an appealing landing spot practically right to the end. It’s unclear what turned him away (or just another direction), besides cold weather games and the Bears not being a legit Super Bowl contender. But the Buccaneers weren’t necessarily any closer to a Super Bowl before they signed him, so the tipping point may have been things like coaching staff and the superior talent Tampa Bay has. The Bears pivoted quickly, perhaps too quickly, trading for Nick Foles.

So as they prepare to watch Mitch Trubisky start on Sunday, Bears fans can now add Brady to the franchise’s list of near-miss potential quarterbacks.