Less than a week ago, people around the NFL were talking about how the Chicago Bears were leading the race to land Russell Wilson. In fact, they even made a huge offer including multiple first-round picks and starters but the deal eventually fell off.
Fast-forward to today, and the Bears’ quarterback room consists of Nick Foles and newcomer Andy Dalton, who was signed to a $10 million deal that could reach $13 million with incentives.
Needless to say, going from Russell Wilson to Andy Dalton in just a week was a massive blow for the team and its fans, yet the ‘Red Rifle’ is still pretty confident in his ability to lead a team to the playoffs.
Andy Dalton Says The Bears Promised Him The Starting Job
And, apparently, so are Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace; as Dalton admitted that they promised him that he was going to be the starting quarterback going forward even despite Mitch Trubisky’s departure:
“They told me I was the starter. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to come here.So every conversation I’ve had has been that, so that’s the assurance that I’ve gotten,” Dalton said in his introductory press conference.
Dalton added that he’s eager to prove his critics wrong and that hopefully, once the people around the organization get to know him, they’ll jump on board with him as the team’s quarterback:
“Hopefully everybody gets a chance to see who I am as a player, as a person, see what we’re going to be able to do with this organization. I’m excited about the opportunity. Obviously, there’s been a lot of talk, but I’m not worried about any of that,” he added.
Dalton Says He’s Willing To Mentor A Young Quarterback
Dalton is also aware of the possibility of the Bears drafting a quarterback this yearand added that he wouldn’t mind mentoring a backup if that what they need him to do next season:
“I’ve been the starter and helped the backup throughout my career. I think it’s what you can do to help the next guy. We’ll see if that’s the case and what we do in the draft. But I’ve got no problem with that,” he concluded.
The Bears have one of the best defenses in the NFL and some interesting weapons in the offense. Dalton was somewhat good with the Cincinnati Bengals, and even though he’s not an ideal signing, maybe he’ll do just fine.