BREAKING: CRAZY FOR BRADY? BEARS OWNER CONFESSES

Bears owner George McCaskey has revealed that the franchise attempted to sign then-free agent quarterback Tom Brady in March 2020. Brady left the New England Patriots to explore free agency for the first time, hinting at interest from several teams without naming the contenders who lost out to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now retired and working as a color analyst for FOX, Brady mentioned during a live broadcast of the Buccaneers and Eagles in Week 4 that the Bears engaged in “stealth recruitment” while Mitchell Trubisky was still under contract.

Reflecting on the pursuit, McCaskey remarked, “That seems like ancient history at this point,” as Chicago gears up to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in England. He emphasized the importance of exploring multiple options in situations like this, stating, “Anytime you’re in a situation like that, you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket. You’re looking at alternatives. It’s the same in free agency and the draft. If the person you’re targeting isn’t available, you want to ensure you’ve done your due diligence on all other options.”

While the Bears ultimately retained Trubisky, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, they traded with the Jaguars to acquire backup quarterback Nick Foles. McCaskey clarified that he wasn’t directly involved in the efforts to recruit Brady and did not disclose details about the behind-the-scenes approach. “I do remember we were interested in pursuing him. It didn’t work out for us. It worked out great for him in Tampa,” he said. Brady went on to win his record seventh Super Bowl in his first season with the Buccaneers.

Since then, the Bears have started fresh at the quarterback position, trading up to select Ohio State’s Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Now in another rebuilding phase, they drafted Caleb Williams with the top pick in April and traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I think it’s gone very well,” McCaskey commented on Williams’ first five NFL games, which resulted in a 3-2 record. “We wanted to have a structure in place for him to succeed, and a lot of that was protecting him from the inevitable distractions that come with being the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears.”

The Bears have a challenging history at the quarterback position, with Trubisky being the first Bears quarterback to earn a Pro Bowl selection since Jim McMahon, who led the team to a Super Bowl victory in 1985. The franchise has not had a first-team All-Pro quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger, with the last All-Pro selection being Johnny Lujack in 1950. Lujack finished that season with a 9-3 record, throwing four touchdown passes and 21 interceptions while also dabbling in kicking and recording an interception as a defensive back. Erik Kramer holds the franchise’s single-season passing records with 3,838 yards and 29 touchdowns set in 1995.