Thread: The Jason Campbell Quandry.............

Campbell quandary looming for Bears

By Dan Pompei, Tribune reporter 11:52 a.m. CST, March 7, 2013


The Chicago Bears have a quarterback decision to make. And it has nothing to do with Jay Cutler entering the last year of his contract. Jason Campbell, the No. 2 QB on the roster, will be out of contract next week. It’s clear the front office and the coaching staff see value in Campbell. But how much value they see in him, and what they can afford may determine whether Campbell returns for a second season in Chicago.

Last March, Campbell signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal to be Cutler’s backup. It is almost inconceivable that he will earn that much this year, especially if he stays put.

The market for backup quarterbacks is not expected to be very robust, and the Bears likely will have too many other demands on their budget to invest too heavily in a player who is not expected to play a lot.

With approximately $3.55 million in available salary cap space, the Bears have to choose their priorities carefully. While they likely will clear cap space before the start of free agency Tuesday, the team still will be limited in terms of what it can do.

It’s possible the Bears won’t even begin negotiating with Campbell until other priorities are addressed.

Campbell also will have something to say about whether he remains in Chicago. If the Bears’ offer to Campbell is considerably less than the contract he signed a year ago, a good chance exists that Campbell will consider other opportunities.

It might be worthwhile for him to even take a lesser monetary offer from a team that offered more potential to play. For instance, if he went to the Vikings, Jets or Jaguars, Campbell might have a better chance to get on the field playing behind quarterbacks who aren’t anywhere near as established as Cutler.

Other backup quarterbacks who could be available include Matt Moore, David Garrard, David Carr, Chase Daniel, Drew Stanton, Derek Anderson, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn and Rex Grossman.

dpompei@tribune.com