New QB Glennon: Bears have a lot of great building blocks
Most of those who watched the 2016 Bears saw an injury-ravaged group of players who usually found a way to lose and were exactly what their record said they were: 3-13.
But that's not what quarterback Mike Glennon saw as he sat idle in Tampa waiting to play behind starter Jameis Winston, who has barely missed a snap since being drafted first overall in 2015 and becoming a Day 1 starter.
“When I watched the Bears' film, I saw a great offensive line, I saw a great running game, and I saw playmakers on the outside,” Glennon said. “I saw a system that I felt fit my skill set. When I saw that, I thought, ‘If that was a place (that) would open up at the quarterback position, that's a place I wanted to go.' ”
Funny how things work out.
Fast forward a few months. The 27-year-old Glennon is at the podium at Halas Hall being introduced as the Bears' new starting quarterback with his wife Jennifer looking on and their 7-month-old baby, Brady, snoozing in a stroller.
“This is her birthday today,” Glennon said of his wife. “This is a pretty good way to celebrate her birthday. I'm just excited that it all worked out the way that I had hoped and envisioned.”
One of the Bears' biggest playmakers, Alshon Jeffery, bolted for the Philadelphia Eagles, but Glennon believes he still has plenty of weapons.
“The guy that stood out to me was Cameron Meredith,” Glennon said. “That guy was making a lot of plays throughout the course of the season. Kevin White, you see the potential. And (tight end) Zach Miller's made a lot of plays. Jordan Howard's a rookie that goes to the Pro Bowl.”
The Bears are also counting on Glennon to make plays immediately.
Jobs may depend on it.
Glennon's three-year, $45 million contract will pay him a guaranteed $16 million this year and another $2.5 million guaranteed next year. But beyond that, the deal allows the Bears to escape with no financial fallout if the quarterback they're expected to draft next month shows early promise, or if Glennon falters.
He has a base salary of $12.5 million in 2018 and a base salary of $12 million in 2019 plus a $2 million roster bonus, none of which is guaranteed.
But the $18.5 million in guaranteed money suggests the Bears will not use the third overall pick in this draft on a quarterback. Rather they will wait a while and take a quarterback who could require some development and seasoning before he's ready.
Backup quarterback Connor Shaw was recently re-signed as well, but for now, Glennon is the man.
“Yeah, Mike Glennon's our starting quarterback,” Bears G.M. Ryan Pace said. “And we're fired up about that.”
The Bears could have re-signed last year's backup Brian Hoyer, who was by far their most effective quarterback in 2016, for much less than it took to get Glennon.
“We like Brian, and I wish him nothing but the best,” Pace said. “But our decision was more that it's all about Mike Glennon, and once we came to a consensus on him it was like, ‘Hey, let's go all in and make sure we get this player.' ”
When Pace was in the New Orleans Saints' personnel department, he evaluated Glennon as he came out of North Carolina State in 2013 and later was familiar with him as an NFC South opponent.
“Obviously he's a big quarterback with a strong arm,” Pace said of the 6-foot-7, 225-pound Glennon. “But beyond that, (he has) all the other traits I value at the position — he's intelligent, he can quickly process, he can see the field, he's accurate, and he gets the ball out quick.”
While he wasn't playing the previous two years, Glennon stayed busy learning what he could, and NFL coaches and scouts were impressed by the professionalism and patience he showed.
“It was definitely very difficult because you want to be out there with your team competing,” he said. “You put in the same amount of work, whether you're playing or not, and you want to contribute on the field to wins.
“I took those two years to prepare for when this opportunity came. I didn't know when it was going to come. It could've have come when Jameis got hurt — that never happened. But I felt prepared to take advantage of my opportunity, and now that opportunity has come.”
Glennon clearly has a sense of humor, which always comes in handy for any quarterback in Chicago. Asked about the biggest knock on him — lack of mobility — he didn't duck the question.
“I don't think anyone is going to mistake me for Michael Vick, ever, or anyone of that nature,” Glennon said. “But I move well enough. Look at guys like Tom Brady, like Peyton Manning, like essentially every quarterback that has won the Super Bowl the past however-many years — guys that probably are in the same ballpark as me as far as being an athlete.
“It's always something I can work on, for sure, to move better in the pocket. I feel confident and comfortable that I can make enough plays with my feet to get the ball out of my hand.”
The Bears are counting on it.
• Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.