The Chicago Bears did, in fact, try to secure seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady back in 2020 when he had only six rings to his name.
George McCaskey, the franchise chairman and son of owner Virginia McCaskey, confirmed to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin that the team engaged in a campaign to bring Brady to Chicago in 2020, as he was preparing to part with the New England Patriots.
“Well, that seems like ancient history at this point. I do remember we were interested in pursuing him. It didn’t work out for us. Worked out great for him in Tampa,” McCaskey told Cronin on Thursday, October 10. “Anytime you’re in a situation like that you’re not putting all of your eggs in one basket. You’re looking at alternatives. It’s the same in free agency. It’s the same in the draft. If the person you’re targeting isn’t available, you want to make sure that you’ve done your due diligence on all other options. So that was one option that we were looking at.”
Instead, Chicago ended up with another, albeit less exciting, Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Nick Foles via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Brady went on to earn a 32-18 record across three regular seasons with the Buccaneers and win a title, throwing for nearly 15,000 yards, 108 TDs and 33 INTs. Meanwhile, Foles went just 3-5 with the Bears across two seasons, amassing 2,102 passing yards, 11 TDs and 8 INTs.
Tom Brady Spoke About Bears’ Interest in Him During NFL Broadcast in Week 4
GettyFormer NFL quarterback Tom Brady during his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady sparked interest in the story by publicizing it during his broadcast of the Week 4 contest between the Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles on September 29.
“Ultimately, Chicago was a team — and I never told that story before — they were very stealth in their recruitment. I was seriously considering them,” Brady said, per Fox Sports. “But in the end, it came down to Tampa. It was close to my son Jack. I love [former head coach] Bruce Arians and the role he played in the offense. And ultimately, the great players like [wide receivers] Mike Evans and Chris Godwin that I’m still out there watching today.”
The news couldn’t have been easy for most Bears fans to hear, though the team’s fortunes at quarterback appear to have changed since missing out on Brady four years ago.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Finding His Footing Toward Middle of Rookie Year
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
If the Bears had landed Brady, the chances are slim that they would be where they are today with rookie QB and No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.
Chicago was bad enough to earn the first overall selection in 2023, but traded it to the Carolina Panthers for a haul that included wide receiver DJ Moore and the first-round draft pick that ultimately became Williams.
And while Williams got off to a rough start this season, he has come into his own with a combined 824 passing yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs over the past three games — during which the Bears are 2-1.
