So it took almost 10 minutes and to the surprise to no one, that the Chad Pennington to the Bears rumors have started it up.
Pennington will be released or traded as a result of the Brett Favre trade.
Pennington, 32, is older and more expensive than fellow quarterback Kellen Clemens. He is scheduled to make $6 million in 2008, and it's hard to imagine how the Jets could fit his salary and Favre's $12 million salary under the cap. If Pennington is released as expected, he will be free to sign with any team and the Bears need to at least give him something to consider. He's a veteran known more for his accuracy than his arm strength, but the combination of his intangibles and experience would make it necessary for the Bears to consider him as a third quarterback. As long as the position is unsettled and the starting job is unclaimed, it makes sense to check into the availability of a former first-round pick from the 2000 NFL draft. I am not sure that Pennington is an upgrade over what we have. He has health issues and cannot throw the long ball, but he can be very accurate. The Bears are also rumored to be interested in Chris Simms of the Bucs. Perhaps the Bears make a move after tonight's game against KC, though with the line banged up like it is, I don't know if they can get a real sense of anything.