Coming out of the 2021 season both the Bears and Vikings fired their GM and HC after disappointing seasons, and hired HCs and GMs that they hoped would turn things around. The Bears GM and HC decided on tearing down the roster and dumping still productive vets who would almost certainly not be a part of when the team could realistically compete for a championship. The Vikings doubled down on the strategy of the previous regime, dumping no one of significance and hoping a new scheme and luck would improve their team versus actual team building.

Fast forward to the end of 2022 and while the scheme part didn't necessarily go the way of the Vikings (they are worse in many metrics than their 2021 counterpart), they did have a lot of bounces go their way and won 13 games earning at least one playoff game against a very beatable opponent. Their offseason plan worked.

You could say the same about the Bears offseason plan too, and I would argue it could not have gone better for the franchise with the team the GM was given to work with. The team showed a lot of promise from a number young players and while that didn't equate to wins, it did show promise for their new coaching staff that for the most part kept the team fighting despite being undermanned against nearly every opponent. The GM's first draft wasn't amazing, but even if Brisker and Jones remain the only two quality starters to come out of the draft, that is still a solid draft for a team without a 1st round pick. The jury is still out on the Claypool trade, but I think I would still have made it with hindsight. His plan also worked to perfection, the Bears are now sitting in the drivers seat with 1st overall pick, a pick that will be coveted by multiple QB needy teams, along with a ton of cap to sign vets to do a full rebuild. He has a plan, and now he has all of the tools he needs to bring that plan to fruition.

So my question for Bears fans is, hypothetically if you could go back to 2022 and know that you could either squeak out 10 games in very lucky fashion this season holding onto all your aging vets that are nearing the end of the shelf life and be in cap hell once again in 2023 with very little draft capitol to work with or would you prefer the situation you are in now? Having the chance to actually build a young championship roster instead of just a solid, aging one?