Bears land Drew Brees, cut Dalton

by Chris Bearman

Blogger, Chicago Tribune

In a whirlwind 24-hour period, the Chicago Bears signed a future Hall of Fame quarterback and cut a former GFML MVP quarterback.

The Bears agreed to terms with Drew Brees on a 1 year deal that pays him upwards of 18 million dollars. The 39 year old went through an intense physical with the team, as the team did all their homework on whether or not Brees had anything left in the tank at age 39. Once they determined that, the front office moved on from quarterback Andy Dalton, who they acquired last year in a trade from Cincinnati after an MVP season.

Dalton, who turned 30 this offseason, had a solid, if unspectacular, year in Chicago, throwing for just over 3500 yards and 19 touchdowns to go with 16 interceptions. Dalton was also making almost 11 million dollars to put up those types of numbers.

"We wish Andy (Dalton) nothing but the best and thank him for his contributions to the offense this past season. He was a key reason we were in the playoff race as long as we were, and Andy was a model citizen in Chicago," Coach Winuvas said of the cut.

Brees played part time in Oakland this past season, going 125 of 205 for 1991 yards and 15 touchdowns to go with 7 interceptions.

"We do feel Drew (Brees) has a lot left in the tank and can help us be better in the passing game, both with his play action ability and his extreme intelligence and accuracy," Coach Winuvas said of the Brees signing.

Rumors now circulate that the team will groom Sean Mannion to take over once Brees moves on, and Brees will be a great mentor to Mannion going forward. Does that mean a contract extension for Mannion, who heads into the last year of his rookie deal?