The 2021 NFL offseason was an eventful one for a few teams, in particular. The Chicago Bears, for one, found their long-term solution at quarterback, drafting Justin Fields at 11 overall.
Elsewhere, a division rival saw a big switch happen under center. The Detroit Lions swapped Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff and some draft capital, seeing the former no. 1 overall pick head to the Los Angeles Rams to unite with head coach Sean McVay.
The San Francisco 49ers also made a big move, drafting North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance at no. 3 overall. Head coach Kyle Shanahan may not have wanted to admit it, but the team had to put some pressure on veteran Jimmy Garoppolo if they were to return to the Super Bowl anytime soon.
Now, the Bears, Rams and 49ers are set up for the foreseeable future with their quarterback position. Bears head coach Matt Nagy remains steadfast that he will start Andy Dalton in Week 1 against those Rams, but theories point to Fields taking over sooner rather than later.
Another theory is beginning to emerge, too, as all three of these head coaches may have engaged in some “planning,” we’ll call it, before the offseason kicked off into full swing.
Did Matt Nagy and the Chicago Bears partake in some form of collusion with Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan and Matthew Stafford?
Interesting… guess where Matt Nagy was when the Matthew Stafford trade happened?
Cabo.
Sean McVay and Stafford were there too. So was Kyle Shanahan. Hmm…
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) September 9, 2021
Let’s get the timeline straight, here.
January 23, 2021: Lions begin actively shopping Stafford, per Adam Schefter
January 31, 2021: Lions agree to trade Stafford to Rams
(Somewhere in this area): Nagy, McVay, Shanahan and Stafford are hanging out in Cabo
March 17, 2021: NFL Free Agency officially begins
