Does Ryan Pace View Mike Glennon As His Drew Brees?

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace is a complex man like anybody else, but he’s also one tethered to his experiences. Particularly in regards to roster approach.

He witnessed first-hand that it’s possible to find a great quarterback solution for a team outside of the NFL draft. It’s just a matter of finding the right talent, personality and timing. That took place in 2006 when the New Orleans Saints managed to sign Drew Brees.  A man who’d been allowed to leave by the San Diego Chargers. Back then Pace was a scout for the team and had a front row seat for Brees’ rise to Hall of Fame status. At the same time pulling that city out of the shadow of Hurricane Katrina.

Is it crazy to think that Pace, now a GM himself can believe he might find similar luck on the market? It sure seems that way after the Bears handed 27-year old Mike Glennon a three-year contract for $45 million. He has already been declared the starter and it’s not clear whether Chicago will take a rookie high in the upcoming draft.

Erroneous Comparison?

It sounds absurd to compare Glennon with Brees at this point, but it’s not totally insane. In 2006 nobody believed Brees would become what he is. He’d been benched three different times with the San Diego Chargers, struggling in his first three seasons before finally breaking out in 2004 with a Pro Bowl campaign. Then he tore his rotator cuff a year later. Some felt he would never be the same. Then Sean Payton got his hands on him and the rest is history.

Glennon has a similar upbringing. A talented but uneven day two draft pick who put up decent numbers as a starter despite a rebuilding roster. Unlike Brees he had to endure a head coaching change, which eventually forced him out of the starting job. There is no telling how much better he could’ve become had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to stick with him. Instead they just chose a fresh start with Jameis Winston.

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Even so, it’s fair to wonder if Pace is putting too much stock in this experiment. John Fox is not Sean Payton when it comes to developing quarterbacks. Glennon could be an ill-fated delusion. Great QBs don’t hit free agency anymore. What happened a decade ago was a different era. Then again, the Buccaneers did try to keep him for $8 million a year. Maybe they knew what they had and didn’t want anybody else to have it.

One thing is for sure. Pace will really be sticking his neck out if he doesn’t draft a quarterback high this April.