5 teams who could trade for Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason

3. Chicago Bears

Any quarterback speculation usually has to include the Bears, as they continue to try to find an answer at the most important position in sports. Their lateral move to trade for Nick Foles as competition and the eventual replacement for Mitch Trubisky isn’t working well, as Foles has gotten the benefit of a longer leash than Trubisky got when he was benched in Week 3.

The Bears are basically stuck with Foles through 2021, with about $10.3 million in dead money left behind if they cut him. If they traded him before June 1, the dead money would still be $5.3 million (according to Over The Cap). Trubisky of course will be gone after the season, as GM Ryan Pace’s professions of faith in him proved to mean nothing with the decision not to pick his fifth-year option last offseason.

The Bears are up against the projected lower salary cap for 2021, so they’ve have some maneuvering to do no matter what come the offseason. It feels certain they’ll draft a quarterback in April, if not in the first round (with what may be a pick in the teens) then surely on Day 2.

Head coach Matt Nagy’s desire to look like a great offensive mind will hold things back until further notice. But Chicago has an interesting set of weapons to put around a quarterback, with or without re-signing pending free agent wide receiver Allen Robinson. Along the lines of what it might be with the Jets, waiting for the 49ers to cut him is the easiest path for the Bears to get Garoppolo. But sending a player back to San Francisco, to make it easier cap-wise, is possible.