What are Bears' chances of success with Wilson or Watson?
Let's forget for just a moment whether there is any chance Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson or even Aaron Rodgers will get traded.
Let's forget that of the 10 to 12 quarterback hungry teams out there that could be buyers, the Bears are probably the least equipped to put together a package that might snare one of them.
Is it a good idea to try and trade for an established franchise or star quarterback?
Matthew Stafford will certainly be another test case with the Rams.
In the 55-year history of the Super Bowl only one team has won one with a quarterback it traded for after he had started an NFL game.
The San Francisco 49ers sent second- and fourth-round draft choices to Tampa for Steve Young after he started 19 games and completed 53% of his passes with 13 TDs and 21 interceptions and was thought to be a bust.
Five others were involved in trades.
Washington sent a first-round pick to the Dolphins for the rights to sign Joe Theismann after he spent his first three seasons in Canada, unwilling to sign after being drafted by Miami because of failed negotiations.
Washington sent a fifth-round pick to the Bucs for the rights to sign Doug Williams as a free agent after he left Tampa and sat out the '83 season in a salary dispute and played in the USFL in 1984 and '85.
The Packers famously sent a first-round pick to the Falcons for Brett Favre after Atlanta drafted him in the second round, but Favre threw just four passes for the Falcons, completed none and had two of them intercepted including a pick-six.
John Elway and Eli Manning were acquired by the Broncos and Giants in draft day trades and never played for another team.
Earl Morrall won 11 games for the undefeated 1972 Dolphins after being claimed off waivers.
Jim Plunkett, Kurt Warner, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Nick Foles won Super Bowls for the Raiders, Rams, Ravens, Bucs, Saints, Broncos and Eagles, respectively, after being signed as free agents.
That's it. The other 17 starting QB's with rings won them for the team that either drafted them or signed them as undrafted rookie free agents.
High profile quarterback trades don't work, or at least never have before in the modern era of the NFL.
Players like Fran Tarkenton, Craig Morton, Dan Pastorini, Joe Montana, Warren Moon and Drew Bledsoe had some success after being traded but didn't win titles.
Other high profile quarterbacks dealt including Jeff George, Daunte Culpepper, Matt Cassel, Carson Palmer and Sam Bradford flopped after being swapped.
And Bears fans know how the closest trade in NFL history to what a Watson trade would look like know how Jay Cutler turned out.
Maybe if they could make a deal for Wilson or Watson the Bears could break the mold.
I get Bears fans' yearning for a franchise quarterback, and in spite of all the evidence to the contrary that a deal for one would succeed, maybe the Bears should do it anyway just to make the faithful happy.
But the idea they should make a deal for a franchise QB no matter the price is wrong.
Not only has every team that's ever tried it failed to seal the deal on a title or consistent playoff success, those deals have left the great majority of them struggling to recover for some time after.
History argues these deals don't work, and we know what they say about those of us that fail to learn from history.
Here's hoping the Bears don't choose to repeat it.
Twitter: @Hub_Arkush