Ex-NFL QB on Bears: 'Where quarterbacks go to die' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
If you want to have a long-term, successful career as a quarterback in the NFL, do not go to the Chicago Bears, according to one former Pro-Bowl quarterback.
"This is a franchise where quarterbacks go to die," Boomer Esiason said on CBS Sports.
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Esiason played 14 years in the NFL during the 1980s and 90s -- nine with the Cincinnati Bengals, three with the New York Jets and one with the Arizona Cardinals before returning to the Bengals for a one-year stint.
He received four Pro-Bowl selections, one All-Pro team and the NFL MVP award in 1988 on his way to throwing 37,920 yards and 247 touchdowns.
The Bears have drafted 31 quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era, expending six first-round picks at the position in the same time frame. Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, Cade McNown, Jim Harbaugh and Jim McMahon represent the five quarterbacks taken on Day 1.
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Only one quarterback has played in 100 regular season games during the Super Bowl era -- Harbaugh. He played seven seasons with the Bears between 1987-1993.
The Bears' latest mainstay at the position is Fields, who is going into his second season in Chicago. Former general manager Ryan Pace traded up from the No. 20 pick to the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL draft to select Fields.
Will it work out for the Bears this time? Only time will tell.
