If there was still any doubt after Chicago dished out $18.5 million in guaranteed money to a longtime backup, Bears general manager Ryan Pace silenced it Friday.
Mike Glennon will be the Bears' starting quarterback in 2017.
One day after Chicago pulled the trigger on their gunslinger swap, cutting franchise-leader Jay Cutler and signing Glennon to replace him, Pace met the media to express his enthusiasm about the franchise's big move under center.
"Mike Glennon is our starting quarterback and we're fired up about that," Pace explained. "He's got all the traits you could want in a quarterback. Height, arm strength, accuracy and ability to quickly process.
"He asked, 'Can I have pictures of everybody in the building that I'm going to interact with with their names? Can I have the cell phones of every single player on offense and certain guys on defense?' Right away, I think that tells you something about a guy. That's his mindset before he even walks in the building."
"When I watched the Bears' film ... I saw a system that might fit my skill set," Glennon offered. "And when I saw that, I thought, if that was a place that opens up at the quarterback position, it was a place I'd want to go."
The Bears will likely add another quarterback before the start of training camp, either through the secondary market in free agency or through the draft. Connor Shaw is currently the only other QB on the roster. Chicago can use its third overall selection or the 36th pick in the second record in this year's draft to handpick its quarterback of the future.
Whether Pace is willing to admit it or not, Glennon is clearly the bridge while the Bears rebuild post-Cutler and post-Jeffery. The price for Glennon might be too high for some to fans to bear in the short term, but Chicago is comfortable fully investing in a fresh start on offense, anchored by an adequate thrower, young receiving options and a star running back in Jordan Howard.
