Watson Tweets

[BearFan PHX]

On 1/21/2021 at 5:52 PM, DABEARSDABOMB said:

Franchise Arob - trade him for a 2nd rounder (I don't know if that is doable). Trade Mack for a 1st or 2 2nd rounders.  At that point - I think you might have enough capital to make some moves - but only way I can see Bears pulling off is if Watson has a really short list of teams and is pretty much demanding a trade to the Bears.  I don't really know why he would do that - knowing you might have another new coaching staff in a year.

If Nagy and Watson went back and had worked well together at some point - I could see it happen.  I just don't see Watson to Chicago - although I do see Nagy wanting him and I see Pace and his aggressive ways also being enamored with this chance.  

you cant Trade Mack without accelerating all of his bonus money into this year's cap (or the next two years after June 1st) either way, you wouldnt be able to afford to field a team.

When you trade a player their dead cap money does not go with them, it goes all against your cap in the same year. If you keep him, it gets spread acorss the life of the contract.

[adam]

Now I am seeing news about Watson requesting a trade. So it is game on. 

[50england50]

I’m tired of giving away draft capital or signing high priced free agents.  Chasing a veteran who never meets the expectation on signing day.

I was ecstatic when the Bears signed Cutler, Peppers and Mack but was it really worth it. 

Draft the best oline players available even if you have to move up. If we have a terrible year based on the tough schedule I’ve heard mentioned and poor play calling if Nagy takes this back from Lazor. We might be in the dance for one of the better QB’s if any good ones are available. 

The way to win in this league is either having a generational type QB or having a good QB with a great oline and a great defense. 

Rogers is a generational QB who has benefited from great oline play. Would it be correct to say that year on year in the past 2 decades Green Bay’s oline has been superior to the Bears. 

[Bertva]

My biggest fear Pace does this big trade with both multiple number 1 picks and number 2 or 3.  Then they flop either because it was not the coaches in Houston and was Watson or what ever the case. Pace an Nagy get fired. What Coach is going to come to a team with no number 1 picks? 

[BearFan PHX]

I pray that McCaskey will forbid any kind of trading of multiple future picks.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

1 hour ago, BearFan NYC said:

I pray that McCaskey will forbid any kind of trading of multiple future picks.

As much as I would love to have a QB like that, how do you justify trading those assets for that salary.  We are already in the cap hot basement. The Bears have to stop borrowing against the future and figure it out and get ahead.  If they stopped being "cute" it is easy.  How many smartest guys going against averages do we have to go through.  

[Stinger226]

On 1/9/2021 at 3:09 PM, BearFan NYC said:

I said to fire Nagy around week 12 last year, give Mitch a different look and if he couldnt make it, then move on and draft a QB this year. I said if we didnt, wed lose not only this one year, but the defense would regress.

I honestly think nothing positive that ends in a Super Bowl can begin until Nagy is gone.

 I think Pace should be gone, blew the QB thing and keeps buying players to replace his bad high draft picks. I think if Nagy gets the players he wants, he has some value. Hiring a coach by a GM that will be gone in one year is just standing in quicksand. After this year unless something miraculous happens, they will both be gone. Nagy is learning on the job, the first year gave him to much of an ego that he got stubborn. I think he could be a good coach if he just plays to his personal and or Pace gives him a QB he can go with .

[Stinger226]

18 hours ago, adam said:

Now I am seeing news about Watson requesting a trade. So it is game on. 

Why would he choose here? We are not in the position to give a good enough package in comparison to other teams. Miami, Jets, Carolina. I seen one where Carolina gives them Bridgewater plus higher draft picks. Our best players have to big of contracts to be considered. 

[Mongo3451]

3 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

Why would he choose here? We are not in the position to give a good enough package in comparison to other teams. Miami, Jets, Carolina. I seen one where Carolina gives them Bridgewater plus higher draft picks. Our best players have to big of contracts to be considered. 

You asked, why would he choose here, then mention things of trade value.  Watson doesn't care what Houston gets.  He holds all the cards and will get to choose the team he's traded to.  The only card Houston holds is the ability to blackball and fine Watson for not playing, which would be franchise suicide.

[BearFan PHX]

40 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

You asked, why would he choose here, then mention things of trade value.  Watson doesn't care what Houston gets.  He holds all the cards and will get to choose the team he's traded to.  The only card Houston holds is the ability to blackball and fine Watson for not playing, which would be franchise suicide.

exactly, and apparently Watson wants input into the coach and GM to be hired. SO with Nagy on the hot seat, maybe Watson comes here with the understanding that he has input into those decisions. If he believes in Nagy and it really was all Trubisky's fault in his mind, then that makes it all the easier.

Now, would the McCaskey team be willing to allow something like that? Probably not. But let's not kid ourselves, Watson couldnt do a worse job of hiring those positions than we already have, and the candidates would improve if they knew theyd get to work with Watson.

Who knows?

Most likely, Watson is the first domino to fall, and shakes loose other players and we get one of those.

[McGowan]

The Bears had their chance to get Deshaun Watson, and they messed it up. 

Time to move on. Coming off of 2 years without a 1st round pick due to the Mack trade, the Bears really can't afford a Watson trade as well. They'd end up right where Houston is now. 

[BearFan PHX]

25 minutes ago, McGowan said:

The Bears had their chance to get Deshaun Watson, and they hosed it up. 

Time to move on. Coming off of 2 years without a 1st round pick due to the Mack trade, the Bears really can't afford a Watson trade as well. They'd end up right where Houston is now. 

I agree. But Watson is a great player, and he might prove me wrong. But I see it the same way you do.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

So I'll throw out my acquire Watson scenario - with the caveat that - my trading only works if the Bears can accumulate some extra assets this year so that really you are making a huge investment in Watson today - recognizing the step to greatness isn't going to happen overnight (because from a cap/asset perspective - they will have issues) - but having that true franchise QB is where you have to start.  If Bears unequivocally believe Watson is that guy - than I think almost any price is worth it - because it isn't just about the next 1-2 years - it is about the 5-8 year window you have with an elite QB.    

I will also note - I don't see the Bears getting Watson by having the absolute strongest package - so at some point - Watson is going to have to tip the scales a bit in the Bears favor for this to work.  The Bears will clearly not be the best team looking to acquire Watson - so for this to work - Bears are going to have to convince Watson (from ownership to GM to coach) that he is their guy and that they are going to build this entire franchise around him and make him a legend in Chicago and around the NFL. Endorsement deals - Love of the City - etc.  But realistically - they are going to have to sell them on their commitment to do that over time - cause there is almost no scenario where I see Watson arriving and the Bears just being immediate superbowl contenders - unless instead of what I do below - the Bears sell like the next 4 years worth of draft picks - which I do not condone.  

Step 1: Move Mack - Get maximum value and my hope is you are talking at least 2 2nd round picks (ideally you get a 1st and a 2nd - even if one of those is a future pick - I don't care).  And for those that say you can't get that - I don't believe it. All advance metrics still say Mack is a well above average pass-rusher and while his production dipped with the Bears - he's still widely viewed as an elite player and pass rushers (next to QB's) still have high value.  This is a move that is necessary - as Bears need to find other assets - plus I think they need to move Mack for increased flexibility in terms of future cap usage (think 2022 & beyond).  

Note: I do this in almost any scenario if I were the Bears front office - because I think they need to find a way to develop their offense and I think Mack gets in the way. Although I would caveat this is something they could always do in another year (presuming Mack doesn't suffer a serious injury) and potentially under a new front office (depending on how 2021 goes).  

Step 2: Franchise and trade Allen Robinson - Get whatever you can for him - maybe it is a 2nd round pick - maybe it is a future 2nd round pick or 3rd round pick - but you can not fit Robinson's contract on the Bears.  As much as I like Robinson - with the holes this club has - you can't afford paying Allen Robinson $20M per year; 

Note: I do not know whether the Bears can do what I outline above and still be in a cap position to fit Watson's contract under the books - but I'll leave that to another post who can verify or not.  

Step 3: Trade your 1st round pick, your 2nd round pick, the picks you acquired for Mack (1st round & future 2nd round) and next years 1st round and 2nd round pick - for Deshaun Watson.  

That would be 3 1st round picks (2 in this years draft; 1 next year) & 3 2nd round picks (1 this year & 2 next year (1 being the Bears & 1 being a pick you got from Robinson or the other Mack pick).    I personally don't think that deal alone is going to be as good as what a team like Miami could offer - and maybe it isn't enough or I'm unrealistic in what I can get for Mack/Robinson (its possible).  

If that is the case - an alternative would be packaging Roquan Smith in the deal - although my preference would be to keep him as a young defender.  

In this scenario - Bears still potentially have a 2nd round pick and than the rest of their draft after 1st round and only essentially mortgaged next years 1st / 2nd rounders as well.  

None of the above is probably realistic - but hey - its a starting point.  The thing I don't know is how much cap space / would they have cap space to do this? 

[jason]

3 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

So I'll throw out my acquire Watson scenario - with the caveat that - my trading only works if the Bears can accumulate some extra assets this year so that really you are making a huge investment in Watson today - recognizing the step to greatness isn't going to happen overnight (because from a cap/asset perspective - they will have issues) - but having that true franchise QB is where you have to start.  If Bears unequivocally believe Watson is that guy - than I think almost any price is worth it - because it isn't just about the next 1-2 years - it is about the 5-8 year window you have with an elite QB.    

I will also note - I don't see the Bears getting Watson by having the absolute strongest package - so at some point - Watson is going to have to tip the scales a bit in the Bears favor for this to work.  The Bears will clearly not be the best team looking to acquire Watson - so for this to work - Bears are going to have to convince Watson (from ownership to GM to coach) that he is their guy and that they are going to build this entire franchise around him and make him a legend in Chicago and around the NFL. Endorsement deals - Love of the City - etc.  But realistically - they are going to have to sell them on their commitment to do that over time - cause there is almost no scenario where I see Watson arriving and the Bears just being immediate superbowl contenders - unless instead of what I do below - the Bears sell like the next 4 years worth of draft picks - which I do not condone.  

Step 1: Move Mack - Get maximum value and my hope is you are talking at least 2 2nd round picks (ideally you get a 1st and a 2nd - even if one of those is a future pick - I don't care).  And for those that say you can't get that - I don't believe it. All advance metrics still say Mack is a well above average pass-rusher and while his production dipped with the Bears - he's still widely viewed as an elite player and pass rushers (next to QB's) still have high value.  This is a move that is necessary - as Bears need to find other assets - plus I think they need to move Mack for increased flexibility in terms of future cap usage (think 2022 & beyond).  

Note: I do this in almost any scenario if I were the Bears front office - because I think they need to find a way to develop their offense and I think Mack gets in the way. Although I would caveat this is something they could always do in another year (presuming Mack doesn't suffer a serious injury) and potentially under a new front office (depending on how 2021 goes).  

Step 2: Franchise and trade Allen Robinson - Get whatever you can for him - maybe it is a 2nd round pick - maybe it is a future 2nd round pick or 3rd round pick - but you can not fit Robinson's contract on the Bears.  As much as I like Robinson - with the holes this club has - you can't afford paying Allen Robinson $20M per year; 

Note: I do not know whether the Bears can do what I outline above and still be in a cap position to fit Watson's contract under the books - but I'll leave that to another post who can verify or not.  

Step 3: Trade your 1st round pick, your 2nd round pick, the picks you acquired for Mack (1st round & future 2nd round) and next years 1st round and 2nd round pick - for Deshaun Watson.  

That would be 3 1st round picks (2 in this years draft; 1 next year) & 3 2nd round picks (1 this year & 2 next year (1 being the Bears & 1 being a pick you got from Robinson or the other Mack pick).    I personally don't think that deal alone is going to be as good as what a team like Miami could offer - and maybe it isn't enough or I'm unrealistic in what I can get for Mack/Robinson (its possible).  

If that is the case - an alternative would be packaging Roquan Smith in the deal - although my preference would be to keep him as a young defender.  

In this scenario - Bears still potentially have a 2nd round pick and than the rest of their draft after 1st round and only essentially mortgaged next years 1st / 2nd rounders as well.  

None of the above is probably realistic - but hey - its a starting point.  The thing I don't know is how much cap space / would they have cap space to do this? 

Your scenario is doable, and I'm actually fine with Steps 1 & 2, but overall Step 3 is a huge hell no from me. There is no way he's worth three 1st and three 2nd round picks. That would make me want to vomit. Losing two more years of first and second round picks is just not acceptable with so many holes on the team.

Now, pulling off the Mack and ARob trades to get more picks and then using those picks, that would be outstanding. 1st, 1st (Mack), 2nd, 2nd (ARob), 2nd (Mack) would allow the Bears to truly start a rebuild.

[BearFan PHX]

2 hours ago, jason said:

Your scenario is doable, and I'm actually fine with Steps 1 & 2, but overall Step 3 is a huge hell no from me. There is no way he's worth three 1st and three 2nd round picks. That would make me want to vomit. Losing two more years of first and second round picks is just not acceptable with so many holes on the team.

Now, pulling off the Mack and ARob trades to get more picks and then using those picks, that would be outstanding. 1st, 1st (Mack), 2nd, 2nd (ARob), 2nd (Mack) would allow the Bears to truly start a rebuild.

How do you trade Mack with the cap hit tho?

[ASHKUM BEAR]

3 hours ago, BearFan NYC said:

How do you trade Mack with the cap hit tho?

12+ million, not a chance they move that. Next year they have to trade him or ride his contract out. 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

4 hours ago, BearFan NYC said:

How do you trade Mack with the cap hit tho?

Personally - I trade him and live with the cap hit knowing I accumulated assets and next year have a ton of cap flexibility. 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

6 hours ago, jason said:

Your scenario is doable, and I'm actually fine with Steps 1 & 2, but overall Step 3 is a huge hell no from me. There is no way he's worth three 1st and three 2nd round picks. That would make me want to vomit. Losing two more years of first and second round picks is just not acceptable with so many holes on the team.

Now, pulling off the Mack and ARob trades to get more picks and then using those picks, that would be outstanding. 1st, 1st (Mack), 2nd, 2nd (ARob), 2nd (Mack) would allow the Bears to truly start a rebuild.

So I tend to think scenario 1 and 2 are what Bears should do regardless. I’d than draft some onlineman, take a shot at a young QB (knowing I might also do the same next year depending on how this swing goes), and than I’d get a wideout or two given the depth of the draft and try and find another db. 
 

Call it a mini refresh - and if Pace and Nagy had real swag - they could save their job too - cause of that qb looks decent - I’m not calling for their heads - I’m saying let’s see if we can do this.

I also should note I am totally open to trading for Tua as part of the Watson trade. I saw nothing I liked from Tua - but not denying the raw talent he had coming out of college and if there was ever a year to excuse his performance I would say a year with a COVID offseason where you are coming off a major injury would be a valid excuse. 
 

Unless they get Watson, Wentz or Stafford - I’m drafting a qb early or I’m trading for Tua/D’Arnold and seeing if Bears can buy low and find gold.
 

In the scenario it is a young QB - No matter what I do I do it knowing if it doesn’t work - I’m going right back to the well the next year. I will point out - in bears case - if that happened - clearly a new GM/Head Coach would be making that decision. 

[Stinger226]

18 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

You asked, why would he choose here, then mention things of trade value.  Watson doesn't care what Houston gets.  He holds all the cards and will get to choose the team he's traded to.  The only card Houston holds is the ability to blackball and fine Watson for not playing, which would be franchise suicide.

You're right, so if he holds the cards, why would he choose here? Unstable front office. Probably AROB gone, poor OL. lack of cap and draft capital to get better. 

[Stinger226]

18 hours ago, BearFan NYC said:

exactly, and apparently Watson wants input into the coach and GM to be hired. SO with Nagy on the hot seat, maybe Watson comes here with the understanding that he has input into those decisions. If he believes in Nagy and it really was all Trubisky's fault in his mind, then that makes it all the easier.

Now, would the McCaskey team be willing to allow something like that? Probably not. But let's not kid ourselves, Watson couldnt do a worse job of hiring those positions than we already have, and the candidates would improve if they knew theyd get to work with Watson.

Who knows?

Most likely, Watson is the first domino to fall, and shakes loose other players and we get one of those.

Pace would be the one negotiating with Watson to come here. Why would he tell Watson that he can pick the new GM and coach if we fail? Didnt Houston say that and then screwed him over?

[Stinger226]

6 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

Personally - I trade him and live with the cap hit knowing I accumulated assets and next year have a ton of cap flexibility. 

With Pace and Nagy on the hot seat for one more year, they are going all in , not rebuilding. They will franchise AROB, try to upgrade the QB position, hopefully upgrade the OL and keep as many pieces on D that they can and still function under the cap.

[Stinger226]

16 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

So I'll throw out my acquire Watson scenario - with the caveat that - my trading only works if the Bears can accumulate some extra assets this year so that really you are making a huge investment in Watson today - recognizing the step to greatness isn't going to happen overnight (because from a cap/asset perspective - they will have issues) - but having that true franchise QB is where you have to start.  If Bears unequivocally believe Watson is that guy - than I think almost any price is worth it - because it isn't just about the next 1-2 years - it is about the 5-8 year window you have with an elite QB.    

I will also note - I don't see the Bears getting Watson by having the absolute strongest package - so at some point - Watson is going to have to tip the scales a bit in the Bears favor for this to work.  The Bears will clearly not be the best team looking to acquire Watson - so for this to work - Bears are going to have to convince Watson (from ownership to GM to coach) that he is their guy and that they are going to build this entire franchise around him and make him a legend in Chicago and around the NFL. Endorsement deals - Love of the City - etc.  But realistically - they are going to have to sell them on their commitment to do that over time - cause there is almost no scenario where I see Watson arriving and the Bears just being immediate superbowl contenders - unless instead of what I do below - the Bears sell like the next 4 years worth of draft picks - which I do not condone.  

Step 1: Move Mack - Get maximum value and my hope is you are talking at least 2 2nd round picks (ideally you get a 1st and a 2nd - even if one of those is a future pick - I don't care).  And for those that say you can't get that - I don't believe it. All advance metrics still say Mack is a well above average pass-rusher and while his production dipped with the Bears - he's still widely viewed as an elite player and pass rushers (next to QB's) still have high value.  This is a move that is necessary - as Bears need to find other assets - plus I think they need to move Mack for increased flexibility in terms of future cap usage (think 2022 & beyond).  

Note: I do this in almost any scenario if I were the Bears front office - because I think they need to find a way to develop their offense and I think Mack gets in the way. Although I would caveat this is something they could always do in another year (presuming Mack doesn't suffer a serious injury) and potentially under a new front office (depending on how 2021 goes).  

Step 2: Franchise and trade Allen Robinson - Get whatever you can for him - maybe it is a 2nd round pick - maybe it is a future 2nd round pick or 3rd round pick - but you can not fit Robinson's contract on the Bears.  As much as I like Robinson - with the holes this club has - you can't afford paying Allen Robinson $20M per year; 

Note: I do not know whether the Bears can do what I outline above and still be in a cap position to fit Watson's contract under the books - but I'll leave that to another post who can verify or not.  

Step 3: Trade your 1st round pick, your 2nd round pick, the picks you acquired for Mack (1st round & future 2nd round) and next years 1st round and 2nd round pick - for Deshaun Watson.  

That would be 3 1st round picks (2 in this years draft; 1 next year) & 3 2nd round picks (1 this year & 2 next year (1 being the Bears & 1 being a pick you got from Robinson or the other Mack pick).    I personally don't think that deal alone is going to be as good as what a team like Miami could offer - and maybe it isn't enough or I'm unrealistic in what I can get for Mack/Robinson (its possible).  

If that is the case - an alternative would be packaging Roquan Smith in the deal - although my preference would be to keep him as a young defender.  

In this scenario - Bears still potentially have a 2nd round pick and than the rest of their draft after 1st round and only essentially mortgaged next years 1st / 2nd rounders as well.  

None of the above is probably realistic - but hey - its a starting point.  The thing I don't know is how much cap space / would they have cap space to do this? 

If they go for it, they will try to acquire Watson but they will only trade a player to help get Watson, not be trading their stars that they will need to win with. Mack is untradeable anyways. Like NY said, we have to eat his bonus cap hit which would devastate any potential cap space. NE, Colts, and Washington are the only winning teams with cap space to take on Watson, also stable front offices. 

[Stinger226]

The potential QB candidates  for trade are  Watson-Stafford-Wentz-Goff-Ryan-Garoppolo. Ryan-Wentz-Goff carry large dead money hits for the teams trading them that would make it impossible to trade. 44 mil cap hit-59 mil cap hit-65 mil cap hit respectively. Watson-Stafford-Garoppolo are user friendly. 5.6 mil hit-19 mil hit-2.8 hit respectively. So if we trade for anyone it would be out of these three. Watson will choose his own fate and has better options than coming here. Lions will probably never trade within the division. Garoppolo is our best option if he is cut. His salary is to high for any team to trade for him because of his injury history, 25.5 mil in 2021. I doubt we would want him unless for a team friendly contract and we would still draft a QB. 

[Pixote]

Stinger, I strongly suspect that the Patriots will be the new home for Garoppolo, if San Francisco lets him go. They blew it by signing Cam Newton. Belichick regretted losing Garoppolo and would love to have him return to the Pats.

[Mongo3451]

2 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

You're right, so if he holds the cards, why would he choose here? Unstable front office. Probably AROB gone, poor OL. lack of cap and draft capital to get better. 

Preaching to the choir brother.