Reports of the Bears having serious interest and perhaps striking quickly Thursday with Tampa Bay free agent backup quarterback Mike Glennon provide plenty of thought and debate.
There's a belief from some that the investment (averaging $14-15 million a season) is too steep, and why not simply keep Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer around another year, while drafting someone on day two (second or third round) of the draft. If New England's taken Jimmy Garoppolo off the market (or the price is too steep), Glennon's the next man up in the market without too much tread on his tires, without a label of establishing who he "is" yet.
So, if the Bears are indeed as aggressive over Glennon as those reports indicate, here are three main thoughts that immediately come to mind:
1. Glennon is part of a total rebuild of the quarterbacks room at Halas Hall. He, a draft pick and Connor Shaw now take over after an eight-year run dominated by Jay Cutler. They'll bypass a quarterback with the third overall pick (where experts say it'd be a reach to select one), and go for one in the second or third round to spike competition with Glennon moving forward.
2. Glennon is the man, being pushed by Brian Hoyer and Shaw. If the Bears are to invest comparable money in Glennon as they would in Cutler, Ryan Pace and John Fox are sold on the tape he put together before Jameis Winston's arrival two years ago in Tampa Bay, and is the signal-caller they'll stake their reputation on.
3. If it's a short two- or three-year deal, Glennon gets his money up front and is still a possible place-holder. It keeps the Bears off a long-term hook, but if Glennon blossoms, they've found their quarterback of the present and future. Two red flags here: If there's truly a market out there for Glennon, why would he settle for this? And would the Bears believe this financial investment be a huge upgrade over what Hoyer could otherwise provide?
This narrative, finally, is closer to taking shape in answering questions at the position that's continued to frustrate this franchise, starting at 3 p.m. Thursday.