Nomromz

Who are the "project" QBs in the upcoming draft? I know that it changes dramatically from now until the draft and people will shoot up or down teams' draft boards, but I'd like a few names to keep an eye out for. I don't follow college football much so I only know the very hyped and common names (Williams, Maye).

I'd love for the Bears to be able to pick up their version of Russel Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Mahomes etc: guys who were picked up initially not to start immediately. Ideally they'd be a late 1st so that we have a 5th year option on them.

This would be the scenario for me: we get picks #3 and 6 or so. We draft MHJ with #3. We trade #6 to get a pick in the mid teens and a few more picks. We draft a QB in the late teens or even 2nd and 3rd to develop. We let the kid sit for a year behind Fields. I think we can be an average team at the very least with Fields (now that our O line and defense are coming together). Fields has lost a lot, but he has also shown many games where he has put up 27+ points. If our defense can consistently hold teams to 27 or less, we will win our fair share of games.

I'm tired of throwing young QBs into a dumpster fire and expecting them to make magic out of nothing. A QB project would give Fields some competition and we can keep him on a fairly short leash. Who knows, the rookie could even beat him out in training camp. I just don't want all the pressure to be on the rookie to perform immediately.

Alternatively obviously we can just draft a QB as high as possible and get rid of Fields. The turnaround by the Texans has been amazing to watch. They went from near last in the league to playoff contenders by drafting a rookie QB and changing the coaching staff. We are set up in much the same way. I just think that is a much riskier route to take and I'd rather build everything else first.

Can someone more knowledgeable on how trades and contract talks work between teams? I'm reading bits and pieces about how we wouldn't have been able to speak to Sweat's agent about contract extensions unless Washington gave us permission (otherwise it's tampering).

How does this compare to the trade for Khalil Mack when we traded two 1sts and more? Did the Raiders give us permission to discuss contract negotiations with him before trading to us? We announced the extension just hours after trading for Mack back in 2018.

The biggest difference I see is that Mack was moved in the offseason and Sweat was moved midseason. Mack got traded Sept 1 2018 and they announced his extension Sept 2.

On another note, how much leverage does Sweat really have in contract talks with us? He's a star, but he's not a super star. The vast majority of players just want long term security. They hate being in contract years or franchise tagged because playing poorly or getting injured would totally ruin their value. It is a huge risk on their part and yes, sometimes it pays off a ton, but there are also plenty of examples where it does not.

EDIT: Just a quick comparison with Roquan, which is probably a better one: Roquan was traded to the Ravens for a 2nd rounder in October. The Ravens didn't get a contract done with him until Jan. Were the Ravens under as much pressure as the Bears to get a deal done? I get that they were pushing for the playoffs and trying to win (and the Bears clearly aren't in a winning position). However, that's still a 2nd rounder for a "rental" if they didn't get a deal done. I get that some people are saying the Bears could have waited until FA to pay Sweat or whatever, but there's no guarantee that Sweat wouldn't have been resigned by Washington before hitting FA.