The Chicago Bears have already decided that Andy Dalton will be their starting quarterback.
On Tuesday, the Bears agreed with Dalton to a one-year, $10 million deal. Dalton can earn an additional $3 million in bonuses. On Thursday, Dalton was introduced as the team’s newest acquisition.
It was interested to hear Dalton reveal that he was promised the starting job. “They told me I was the starter,” Dalton said. “That was one of the reasons why I wanted to come here.”
For Chicago fans, it is not who they wanted to be their new signal caller. Chicago was one of the teams that made offers to acquire Superstar Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. The Bears had offered Seattle three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and two unnamed starters for Wilson. Seattle was not interested in the trade, so it ended Chicago’s hopes of landing the perennial Pro Bowler.
Instead, the team turned towards Dalton on a one-year deal. Although the team did not land who they wanted to, they still got a quarterback with a solid pedigree, despite some concerns about his declining play over the last couple years. However, the 33-year-old quarterback happens to be a former three-time Pro Bowler. Dalton made a name for himself during his tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2011-2019.
Last season, the quarterback played for the Dallas Cowboys as Dak Prescott’s backup. Dalton took over the reins after Prescott suffered a season-ending injury. The veteran played in 11 games for Dallas and recorded 2,169 passing yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 64.9 percent of his passes.
Dalton is excited to be in Chicago because it is another opportunity and a fresh start for him. “Obviously, I know there’s been a lot of talks, but I’m coming in from the outside,” Dalton said as he acknowledges the feelings of fans who wanted someone else as the quarterback. Nevertheless, he is ready to play for the fans and show what he is capable of. “Hopefully, everybody gets a chance to see who I am as a player, as a person, see what we’re gonna be able to do with this organization.”
