Chicago Bears Expected To Be 'Big Players' In QB Market This Offseason

The Chicago Bears made the NFL playoffs this season after finishing second in the NFC North. Their record was just 8-8, but making the playoffs was still an impressive feat considering they had no consistent play at the quarterback position.

The goal now is to correct the deficiencies at that spot during the offseason. NFL insider Jay Glazer says the Bears will be "big players" at the quarterback market, according to a tweet from Daniel Greenberg.

The news isn't overly surprising.

They surrendered a fourth-round pick to acquire Nick Foles from the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, but he wasn't effective during his brief time as the starter. In nine appearances, he threw for 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions while averaging 5.9 yards per attempt.

Mitchell Trubisky, the team's main starter, was better, but not by much. He had a few moments, but his 2,250 total yards (2,055 passing, 195 rushing), 19 total touchdowns and eight interceptions in 10 games was nothing to write home about.

But whom could Chicago turn to on the market? Well, it has three ways to find him: free agency, trade and the 2021 NFL Draft.

First off, fans should probably forget about Matthew Stafford. Yes, his strong arm would probably do well in the Windy City, but the Detroit Lions aren't dealing him to a division rival.

It would be great if the team could remedy picking Trubisky over Deshaun Watson in 2017 by trading for the Houston Texan now, but that is doubtful as well. The best bet through a trade might be Sam Darnold with the New York Jets. There is still enough there to take a gamble.

Here are some of the top quarterback names available on the free agent market, if Chicago wanted to go that route instead of giving up another draft pick:

Yeah, not a lot there either outside of Prescott. The Bears are not in a great spot with its cap situation, so adding a guy with Prescott's price tag probably won't be in the cards. It's an unfortunate situation, but there is still one more option.

The NFL draft might be the most logical way to address the looming issue -- outside of Darnold, at least. They will be picking No. 20 overall, which means a chance at a Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields or Zach Wilson is unlikely.

Could a guy such as Trey Lance out of North Dakota State fall to their pick? Maybe, but a trade up is probably needed. The next options are two quarterbacks out of the SEC, Mac Jones and Kyle Trask. Both were fantastic college passers, but their lack of true arm strength might make playing in Chicago difficult.

The point here is that there are plenty of ways to address the glaring hole at quarterback. But it will take some creativity on the front office's part, regardless of which route they choose to take.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.