NFL rumors: Saints stole Jameis Winston from right under Bears

The Chicago Bears are running out of starting quarterback options, as they could have had Jameis Winston before he decided to re-up with the New Orleans Saints.

Jameis Winston could have signed with the Chicago Bears in his NFL free agency, but has opted to re-join the New Orleans Saints on a second contract. Winston and Taysom Hill have the impossible task of replacing first-ballot hall of famer Drew Brees as the Saints starting quarterback.

While it seemed likely that Winston would return to New Orleans on a second season, you have to wonder what the Bears are trying to do at the quarterback position this offseason. Mitchell Trubisky is not expected to return and “running it back” with Nick Foles is not going to move the needle whatsoever. So are the Bears going to trade for someone or have to draft somebody now?

Jameis Winston returning to the Saints is a bad look for the Bears

Look, for as much as we want to see the Bears trade for Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson, they cannot afford to strike out at the quarterback position this offseason. Yes, trading for the Seattle Seahawks or Houston Texans starter would be ideal, but the Bears will have to give up the farm to pull a blockbuster like this one off. Winston could have been had for eight figures ahead of 2021.

Though he may have wanted to return to the Saints with an opportunity to compete for a starting job, keep in mind that Winston is very much an NFL starting quarterback. He showed he was more than capable at it during his five-year run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While there is still time to get this right, the Bears are running out of options to seriously upgrade at quarterback this year.

The Bears might be better served to trade up and draft a quarterback in the first round this spring.