The Bears have been “all over the place” in looking for a quarterback on Monday, but Case Keenum will not be a part of their plans.
Keenum and the Cleveland Browns agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with $10 million guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal can become official on Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT.
There was some thought Keenum could be an option for the Bears given his 62 career starts and relatively cheap price on the free agent market. Signing him likely would’ve meant he’d begin 2020 as the Bears’ backup quarterback, with the possibility of beating out Mitch Trubisky during training camp or taking over for an ineffective Trubisky in the middle of the season.
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The Browns aren’t paying him to be a starter with Baker Mayfield still entrenched, of course, but they still will pay him quite a bit of money to be a backup. It’ll be interesting to see how his contract affects someone like Marcus Mariota, who likely won’t have an opportunity to sign as a starter but could compete for a No. 1 gig (maybe in Chicago?).
Keenum wasn’t very good for a woebegone Washington side last year, throwing 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while averaging 6.9 yards per attempt in 10 games. His last good year — and, really, only good year — in the NFL came in 2017, when he led the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs with 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
And so, the Bears’ search for a quarterback loses a candidate and moves on.
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