The NFL is on
the precipice of the biggest free agent quarterback class of all
time, the type of class that could really alter the NFL landscape.
Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Dak Prescott, Ryan Tannehill, Phillip Rivers,
Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Marcus Mariota and Case Keenum are
all free agents at this point for the 2020 off season. Not every one
of those players is a no brainer starter but there’s plenty there for
a lot of NFL teams to consider.

Winning teams
make moves to try and bring the championship home. The Houston
Rockets did exactly that in the NBA. They surprised the basketball
world by shipping off Clint Capela to go small ball all the time. Now
plenty, myself included, don’t think that’s the way to a championship
and Daryl Morey is just throwing things against the wall to see what
works. However, it’s a team that saw the writing on the wall and made
a change to try and find what works.

Meanwhile you
look at the Chicago Bears and their loyalty to Mitch Trubisky at the
end of the season has teams frustrated again. It’s fair to say it was
coach speak as they aren’t going to throw the kid under the bus
before they can even make a move, but a lot feel like Ryan Pace and
Matt Nagy’s statements rang true. If Chicago runs it back then much
of the same came be expected as the jury seems out on Mitch.

There aren’t a
ton of draft resources available after the Khalil Mack trade, still
not one I regret, but that was a win now move. With the Mack trade,
money he’s making and their key players cheap it was about maximizing
the chances. Instead the double doink ruined a promising season and
last year was awful. If Trubisky isn’t the answer then the GM needs
to do everything in his power to take advantage of the window for his
team that shares a division with Minnesota and Green Bay.

Look no
further than the same city as the Chicago Cubs are waving the white
flag. MLB has a problem as a league because of teams treating the
luxury tax as a hard cap, but Theo Epstein was handicapped last year
and all about admitted they were giving up on their window. Now, with
the young players the veterans and getting more expensive the run
looks like it could be at the end.

David Ross was
hired to replace Joe Maddon, still a bit of a questionable move to
me, but the culture change is the argument with the core of the World
Series team still around. I’ll have a longer leash for that argument
of change IF the brain trust doesn’t start tearing down the team. All
off season has be filled with rumors of Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and
Wilson Contreras possibly being trading, among others. A team with a
lot of stars still in its prime is considering rebuilding?

The truth is
Maddon was a scapegoat, and deserved some blame, but much like the
Boston Red Sox, Epstein has handicapped the team with bad free agent
signings. The inability to draft pitching put more pressure to spend
excessive money on the staff. The first wave of big prospects were
key in breaking the curse but it has fallen off dramatically. Where
are the waves of prospects, international signings, any
reinforcements?

It’s not that
great being a Chicago sports fan right now, mostly because of
terrible management. It says a lot that the best front office, the
Chicago Cubs, are in the same boat. Winning teams make moves, look at
the Boston Celtics and their lack of aggressiveness. Are they really
a threat to win a championship? Apparently one World Series was good
enough for the Cubs, the Bears QB position will stay broken, the
Bulls are a mess, the hope may just lie in the Blackhawks. It has
been a rough few seasons coming down from all the win now moves but
with three Stanley Cups it’s a lot more understandable.