Do the Green Bay Packers division rivals have a brighter future?
By Todd Welter
The Chicago Bears have the first overall pick in the draft and tons of cap space to get better.
The Green Bay Packers have owned the Chicago Bears since 1992. Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have dominated the Bears so much that they flipped the rivalry in the Packers’ favor.
The Bears finished dead last in the NFL. However, despite going 3-14, there is plenty of optimism for the rivals to the South.
Chicago will head into the offseason with the most salary cap space. 3-14 season earned the Bears the right to draft No. 1 overall. The Bears appear ready to move forward with Justin Fields at quarterback. That means the Bears can trade down with a team desperate for a young quarterback.
Fields still has a lot to prove as a passer, but his trajectory is still pointed upward. The Bears will have to spend to get to the league salary floor. That means they have the money and a big trade chip to upgrade their roster.
It is the type of situation where the Bears can acquire enough talent to slide ahead of the Green Bay Packers in the standings.
It also means the offseason runs through Chicago.
Although, a lot of the Bears’ success will depend on if Justin Fields gets better as a passer. He can run the ball with the best of them. He has shown flashes that he can sling the ball, but it is still only flashes for a player entering his third season.
The offensive line and the wide receivers he had around him were bad. Fields also contributed to not progressing further by holding onto the ball too long and taking unnecessary sacks. He also struggled to consistently hit his check-down passes by always looking for the home run play.
If Aaron Rodgers does retire or is traded, the Green Bay Packers will have a similar quarterback situation as the Bears. Fields just did not have a lot of talent around him to get an accurate evaluation of if he can be an outstanding pocket passer that uses his legs to complement his game.
Fields is clearly a better runner than Jordan Love, but Love will have just as many questions about his game as Fields does.
The Bears still have ways to go to own the NFC North and never give it back. One offseason is not going to make them a Super Bowl contender. If they make the right signings and picks, it might be enough to leap the Green Bay Packers in the division.