The Bears are facing Matt Stafford this week because of a deal that came together while Stafford and Rams coach Sean McVay were having drinks in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in January. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was also in Cabo that week as his team was trying to pry Stafford from the Lions.
And so was Bears coach Matt Nagy — “ironically,” as he put it.
He offered that only when asked if he remembered where he was and how he reacted to the trade, though he insisted it was just a vacation with his wife.
“I think it might have been a coincidence,” he said.
The Bears were interested in Stafford once it became clear the Lions were looking to trade him, but the Rams won the bidding with a package of two first-round picks, a third-rounder and quarterback Jared Goff.
They continued vetting the other quarterback options before getting deep into negotiations with the Seahawks for Russell Wilson, and when those talks fizzled, they signed Andy Dalton to a one-year, $10 million contract.
Dalton will start for the Bears against Stafford and the Rams on Sunday, and Nagy will have rookie Justin Fields on the sideline as Dalton’s backup.
