ESPN's 2020 offseason dominoes predicts Tom Brady to the Bears

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Apparently, Bears fans aren't the only ones who think Tom Brady is a realistic option to replace Mitch Trubisky at quarterback in 2020.

In an article outlining some 2020 NFL offseason dominoes, ESPN painted a scenario where Brady signs with the Bears on a four-year, $110 million deal.

Trying to link up with the NFL's best non-Patriots defense and win one more Super Bowl, Brady signs what really amounts to a one-year, $35 million deal with voidable years attached. Allen Robinson, weeping after six years of catching passes from Blake Bortles and Mitchell Trubisky, hands Brady his No. 12 jersey at the G.O.A.T.'s unveiling.

Of course, if the Bears sign Brady to a contract like that (even if it's just a one-year mega-payday), they'll have to free up cap space somewhere. In ESPN's imaginary offseason, GM Ryan Pace finds an extra $13.2 million by trading Leonard Floyd to the Giants for a sixth-round pick.

To free up cap room, the Bears need to move on from their former first-round pick, who has $13.2 million in unguaranteed salary left on the final year of his rookie deal. A Giants team desperate for pass-rushing help sends a late-round pick to the Bears for Floyd, whose sack total has dropped each season since a seven-sack campaign in 2016.

RELATED: Predicting 6 moves the Bears will make this offseason

While that may seem like an undersell for Floyd, the reality is teams around the league know the Bears will have little choice but to cut him, if they make a big-name signing like Brady. As a result, opposing general managers will have all the leverage in negotiations and the Bears will be lucky to get a mid-Day-3 pick back for Floyd, who's generally underachieved through his first four seasons in the NFL. 

Back to Brady for a minute. If Pace adds arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game to a roster that really only needs a quarterback with Brady's current skill set (the Bears don't need TB12 from five years ago; last season's Brady is good enough to win with this defense), then those 2019 Super Bowl aspirations will return in 2020. It would also mark the end of Trubisky's tenure with the Bears, which is also factored into this offseason outline.

The Bears, while still in the market for a young quarterback to eventually replace Brady in a year (or two?), move on from Trubisky and trade him to the Dolphins for Josh Rosen. One bust for another? Seems fair. Whether Rosen can resurrect his career with a year behind Brady in a city that's always looking to hitch its wagon to a franchise-caliber quarterback is anyone's guess, but it isn't the most ridiculous suggestion.

It seems like all of football media is expecting the Bears to make a powerful statement about Trubisky this offseason. And none of those predicted statements are positive. Let's hope Trubisky's still wearing those earmuffs and blinders for the next few months.

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