Bears chairman George McCaskey confirms search for Tom Brady in 2020 free agency

WARE, England – Standing with an English park in the background against his back, Bears chairman George McCaskey was asked to tell the story.

Specifically, the history of the five quarterbacks dates back to 2020, when McCaskey confirmed the Bears were interested in former NFL MVP Tom Brady during his 2020 free agency.

“That seems like ancient history at this point,” McCaskey said. “I remember we were interested.”

McCaskey could not confirm whether Brady had visited Halas Hall for a visit, but the interest was ultimately mutual.

During his broadcast of the Bucs’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles On September 29, FOX Sports’ top NFL analyst said the Bears were a “stealth” candidate to sign him when he left the club. New England Patriots as a free agent in the 2020 offseason. Brady said he was “seriously” considering playing the rest of his career in Chicago.

“At the end of the day, Chicago was a team — and I’ve never told that story before — they were very discreet in their recruiting,” Brady said. “I seriously considered them.”

Brady decided to sign with Tampa Bay.

That year, Brady’s first season in Tampa, the Bucs won Super Bowl LVI. The team also made the playoffs in his three seasons and he retired after the 2022 NFL season.

In his three seasons in Tampa Bay, Brady completed 66.7 percent of his passes, threw for 14,643 yards and threw 108 touchdowns.

“In the end it came down to Tampa. It was close to my son Jack. I love Bruce Arians and the role he played in the offense. And ultimately the great players like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin that I still stand out .” looking there today.”

The Bears went 8-8 in 2020 and made the playoffs with then-quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in 2020. The Bears lost to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC wild-card round. The Saints lost to Brady’s eventual Super Bowl champion Bucs in the divisional round the following week.

After the 2020 season, the Bears moved on from Trubisky and drafted Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace after that 2021 season.

“It didn’t work for us,” McCaskey said. “It worked great for him in Tampa.”