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          NFL Nation

          Is buzz surrounding Bears and Jimmy Garoppolo real?

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          Should the Bears go all-in on Garoppolo? (1:17)

          Tom Waddle believes if the Bears think Jimmy Garoppolo is the answer at quarterback, there shouldn't be a price too high to bring him to Chicago. (1:17)

          • Jeff Dickerson, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 10, 2017, 02:00 PM
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              Dickerson covers the Chicago Bears for ESPN's NFL Nation. He is the co-host of "Dickerson & Hood" on the ESPN Radio national network, and is heard in Chicago on ESPN 1000.
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          Here is the first installment of the offseason mailbag. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. Please enjoy the weekend.

          Jeff Dickerson: Of course. As I wrote last month, the Bears would be foolish not to kick the tires on a potential trade for Jimmy Garoppolo. If the Bears are truly convinced Garoppolo is a future franchise quarterback ... swing a deal with New England and then sign Garoppolo to the long-term deal he wants. There is no substitute to finding the right quarterback. But there are some concerns about Garoppolo’s lack of regular-season experience. So, I can see why some teams may feel a first-round pick and more is too much to give up for a quarterback with only a handful of career starts. There is no one I trust more when it comes to the Patriots than ESPN’s Mike Reiss, who believes New England will not -- under any circumstances -- give Garoppolo away. The Patriots like him, and Tom Brady (as great as he is) turns 40 years old in August. The asking price for Garoppolo will be steep. And the Bears will hardly be the only team to express interest in acquiring him. But again, there is no price too steep for a star quarterback. This all boils down to the Bears’ internal evaluation of Garoppolo. Whatever they decide, Bears fans just have to hope the team evaluated him properly and made the correct decision.

          JD: Why not both? The Bears are absolutely positioned to draft an impact player at No. 3 -- whether it be Alabama’s Jonathan Allen, one of the quarterbacks, one of the highly rated safeties or cornerbacks, etc. Alshon Jeffery is independent of that. That situation is all about money. Despite Jeffery’s issues the past two years (injuries and suspension), the Bears still like him. But at what cost? That’s the core issue. If Jeffery reaches free agency, he will command a multiyear deal that puts him somewhere in the top tier of his position. Some team will pay him a lot of money. If the Bears aren’t comfortable going that high, they can always apply the franchise tag again in 2017 at a cost of approximately $17.5 million. That’s a ton of cap space for one player to eat up, but it might be the only way they can keep him. Jeffery has underwhelmed the past two seasons, but I still argue he’s the best receiver they have by a country mile.

          JD: I don’t see how Jay Cutler comes back. Both sides need a clean break. Eight years is enough. But regardless of what happens to Cutler (trade or release), the Bears have to draft a quarterback at some point. They have to explore every possible option to upgrade at quarterback -- and keep doing so well beyond 2017. If the worst-case scenario is the Bears strike out on Garoppolo, draft a developmental quarterback, and re-sign a veteran such as Brian Hoyer to begin the year, then so be it. I just can’t envision Cutler being part of any future plans.

          JD: Because the present is depressing, that’s why. At least under Lovie Smith the Bears used to make the playoffs on a semi-frequent basis (three times in nine years). That may not seem like much, but the four other Bears head coaches in the post-Mike Ditka era (Dave Wannstedt, Dick Jauron, Marc Trestman and John Fox) have only two combined playoff berths in 15 years. Under Ditka, the Bears reached the postseason in seven of eight seasons from 1984 to 1991, and won Super Bowl XX. No wonder Chicago football fans live in the past.

          JD: Mike, my old friend, the McCaskey family has stated on numerous occasions they have no plans to sell the team. That’s just the way it goes. But I do believe the family, especially George, cares deeply about the franchise. George is, after all, a self-proclaimed die-hard Bears fan who just happens to be the team chairman. He wants to win. They just have not found a recipe for success since Jerry Angelo and Smith were let go. Angelo and Smith made their share of mistakes -- we all do -- but they had a blueprint for how to win football games. Their methods didn’t always excite the masses, but the Bears were never an afterthought from 2004 to '12. All you can hope for is that the family eventually figures it out, because they’re not going anywhere.

          JD: Good question, Alex. I just wasn’t wearing one the day of the photo. I seem to recall it being really hot outside. Probably a good thing I went sans tie because neck sweat from having your dress shirt buttoned all the way to the top is the absolute worst. You can’t hide that with a suit coat. Maybe ESPN will update our glamour shots in the spring. But I doubt that’s high priority at the network!