The marriage between Mike Glennon and the Chicago Bears has been sealed.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback officially joined the Bears on a three-year deal Friday, the team announced. His contract includes $18.5 million in guarantees, sources informed of the deal told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport reported he expects the Bears to still select a quarterback as well, making Glennon a bridge quarterback in an ideal world.
As a result of adding Glennon, the Bears have parted ways with Jay Cutler.
As we've said before, this is potentially a good deal for the Bears. They are not getting trapped into a lengthy contract and have the 23rd highest average per year money devoted to their starting quarterback. While Brian Hoyer devotees will suggest that he, or a similar veteran quarterback, could have been a cheaper option as a bridge starter, think of the extra money going to upside. Glennon is just 27 years old and has a season's worth of starts under his belt already. In 18 career games, he has thrown for 4,100 yards, 30 touchdowns and 15 picks at a 60 percent clip.
This contract has been subject to much speculation and hysteria this offseason, but the truth is that $14.5 million is what the market dictates. FormerTexans quarterback Brock Osweiler is averaging $18 million per season on his four-year, $72 million deal under similar circumstances. Should the production on the field be similar, the Bears got off easy.
Glennon enters a situation where he can succeed. The Bears' offensive line is building toward one of the stronger units in football and their rookie star running back Jordan Howard is one of the more exciting players to pair with out of the gate. This offseason finds Chicago with deep pockets in free agency and enough time to get Glennon a few receivers who can make his life easier. For now, there is reason for the most cautious type of optimism.
