Patriots Or Bears? Dan Orlovsky Sees One Coaching Job More Desirable
The New England Patriots and Chicago Bears enter the offseason in the same exact position.
They both have young star quarterbacks in need of a new head coach and both franchises hinge on their all-important developments.
Top head-coaching candidates certainly will have their eyes on both locations, but for former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, the Patriots are more of a draw than the Bears for several reasons.
“I would choose New England because of Drake Maye,” Orlovsky said on “Get Up” on Monday morning. “I think the young man has got a chance to be an absolute superstar. I think he’s got the chance to be Josh Allen. They’ve got the No. 4 pick. They got $130 million in salary cap space. I can go get Tee Higgins and draft (wide receiver) Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State and all of a sudden we got a really good promising football team. I can draft (offensive tackle) Will Campbell from LSU and protect him.
“I think that this is the place that is going to be for an offensive-minded head coach, if you are one a Ben Johnson, I think that’s the place you desire to go to.”
Maye’s potential and the Patriots’ ability to actually “burn some cash” this offseason in free agency are enticing and would help New England’s next head coach facilitate a quicker rebuild following a second consecutive 4-13 season.
Orlovsky didn’t mention it, but the Patriots are also a better landing spot than the Bears given their division. The Buffalo Bills still reign supreme in the AFC East, but the New York Jets are in disarray while the Miami Dolphins took a big step backward this season. Compare that to the Bears in the NFC North, where the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings all made the playoffs.
Add it all up and Mike Vrabel or Johnson actually might be pushing themselves to get to New England.