Former Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton has made headlines this summer, and mostly for the wrong reasons. He was set to make $3.25 million to be Tony Romo's backup for the Dallas Cowboys. But for some strange reason, Orton was a no-show throughout the offseason workouts (including mandatory mini-camps) and was eventually released.

There has been speculation as to what Orton's future plans are. Some have said that he simply wanted out of Dallas, others have said that the former Purdue standout was considering retirement. 

Orton hasn't said much since leaving Valley Ranch, but the Chicago Tribune on Thursday entertained the thought of bringing Orton back to Halas Hall.

Orton was drafted by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. Originally projected to be a third-string player, a season-ending ankle injury to Rex Grossman, followed by the failed Chad Hutchinson experiment, thrust Orton into the starting role. In the end, he didn't do too bad.

He finished his rookie year completing 190-of-368 passes for 1,869 yards and nine touchdowns. He complied a 10-5 record along the way and pushed the Bears to an NFC North title and their first playoff berth since 2001.

From there Orton's career took a step backwards. In 2006 (despite the Bears winning the NFC Championship), his nightmare of being the No. 3 guy came true as he sat behind both Grossman and Brian Griese for the whole season.

One year later, Orton became part of the three man rotation with Grossman and Griese as the offense failed to ignite and the team finished with a 7-9 record. In 2008, Orton became the man under center again as the Bears missed the postseason by just one game.

Then came the blockbuster 2009 trade that sent Orton to the Denver Broncos and started Jay Cutler's tenure in Chicago. Cutler signed a contract extension in January worth well over $100 million to stay in a Bears uniform for the foreseeable future.

While in Denver, Orton compiled a 12-21 record before being replaced by Tim Tebow and was then claimed off of waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs. Orton played in seven games for the Chiefs before landing in Dallas in 2012 as Romo's backup.

As a Cowboy, Orton only threw 61 total passes in two seasons, having Romo in front of you will do that. But now that he's a costless agent, perhaps bringing him back to Chicago wouldn't be a bad idea.

Josh McCown, Cutler's backup in 2013, flourished in head coach Marc Trestman's offense in the wake of Cutler's groin and ankle injuries. The Bears no longer have that luxury as McCown joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason.

After losing McCown, the Bears have serious question marks at backup quarterback. Jordan Palmer, who many consider to be the front runner, has only thrown 15 regular season passes in his eight-year career. 

Jimmy Clausen hasn't played a regular season game since 2010, but apparently Cutler helped him navigate the Bears' playbook over the summer. Then there's rookie David Fales who was drafted in the sixth round, but he still has a ton of needed development, and will most likely end up on the practice squad.

At the end of the day, there's a lot of uncertainty should Cutler get injured again. There's no guarantee that coach Trestman can work his magic with the aforementioned backups like he did with McCown last season.

Adding Orton to the mix might not be a bad idea. It can stir up some decent competition, plus Bears' fans are already familiar with his work. Orton may not have had the greatest NFL career, but there was time where he was a solid game manager and was consistent.

If he still has the desire to play, and is willing to learn Trestman's system, giving Orton another shot could be a good idea. At worst, the increased competition will bring out the best in the other signal callers.