Chicago Bears Can Get Revenge Against Mike Glennon on Sunday

As long as the Jacksonville Jaguars lose out, they will secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and with it the rights to one Trevor Lawrence. Thus, they're going to start Mike Glennon against the Chicago Bears this Sunday. I'm sure people in the building will say, and perhaps even truly believe, that Glennon gives them a better chance to take home a W tomorrow than Gardner Minshew. A dubious claim, since the Jags have lost all three games Glennon has started this year and Minshew has the only win of the year for the organization under their belt, but it is what it is.

Many are saying this is a Mike Glennon revenge game because he used to play for the Bears. Revenge games are a fun yet goofy narrative in sports that usually doesn't mean much. Occasionally a player will get jacked up for the chance to show an old employer exactly what they're missing, like Jamal Adams against the New York Jets, but mostly it's a storyline for us bloggers and media members. Adam Schefter himself leaned into it (sort of) when he reported the Glennon news.

However, I am here to suggest that it is, in fact, a full-fledged Revenge Game. But not a revenge game for Glennon. No, this is a chance for the Bears to get back at Glennon. What did Glennon do, you might ask? He only robbed the franchise of $18.5 million in 2017.

You see, three years ago, the Bears signed Glennon to a three-year deal worth $45 million to be their starting quarterback ahead of first-round pick Mitchell Trubisky. He received $3 million immediately as a signing bonus, earned $8 million in salary that season, and got another $5 million in roster bonuses. Glennon rewarded the franchise's faith in him by going 1-3 in the opening month of the season, throwing for 833 yards and four touchdowns with eight turnovers in that timespan. He was subsequently benched for Trubisky and was released on the first day of the new league year in March of 2018, and was paid $2.5 million that year as a reward for not wearing a Bears uniform.

In short, it was highway robbery. And that's no knock on Glennon. NFL careers are short. Good on him for getting his money. It is no fault of his own that the Bears drastically misjudged just how good he was and paid him approximately $17.5 million more than he was worth.

However, were I Ryan Pace, I would be a little annoyed at the size of that mistake. I might even be thinking about how nice it would be to see the defense I put together roast Glennon on the field. Now is his opportunity to see that happen.

Mike Glennon Revenge Game? No. Ryan Pace Revenge Game!