Chicago Bears 2021 offseason needs: It starts with quarterback

With jobs on the line, the Chicago Bears scratched and clawed their way to an 8-8 record and a playoff appearance in the 2020 season.

The Bears’ ownership decided to keep general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy for another season, but this is undoubtedly a brain trust that is in “do or die” mode heading into the 2021 offseason.

The Chicago Bears have to reset a little bit in the 2021 offseason as they almost undoubtedly will be moving on from former first-round quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears also have a new defensive coordinator in Sean Desai who has been with the team since 2013 and spent a good amount of time (2015-18) learning from Vic Fangio.

What does this Chicago Bears team need to do in the 2021 offseason through free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft to get back into legitimate title contention? Let’s take a look at their top needs.

Chicago Bears top 2021 offseason needs: 1. Quarterback

Let’s state the blatantly obvious — the Chicago Bears need to figure out their long-term answer at the quarterback position.

Heck, they need to figure out the short-term answer.

The Bears moved up a spot in the 2017 NFL Draft to take North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky, a decision that has looked worse and worse in hindsight as his classmates Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson have been MVP-caliber players early on.

Trubisky appeared to be on a positive trajectory as of the 2018 season but in the last two years, he’s been less than the league average at the position and Chicago’s brain trust is not in a position to be patient with him any longer.

Given what is actually available this offseason, the Chicago Bears’ best bet could be to make a trade for a veteran at the position. There’s no guarantee a rookie will be able to come in and have a huge impact on the franchise, and there’s no guarantee the Bears would even be able to get one of the top quarterback prospects in this class needing to move up from the 20th selection in round one.

There have been rumors that the Bears are in the mix for Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz via trade. If that’s the case, there would still need to be a reclamation project happening as Wentz’s play has declined in recent years.

One way or another, this is the top priority for Ryan Pace in the 2021 offseason.