The Chicago Bears signed free-agent quarterback Andy Dalton on Tuesday, but he wasn't the club's first choice.

A source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter that the team made "a very aggressive pursuit" of Russell Wilson before signing Dalton, but the Seattle Seahawks weren't interested in trading their quarterback.

Last month, Mark Rodgers, the agent for Wilson, listed the Bears - along with the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys - as one of the only four teams that his client would accept a trade to, but noted that Wilson had not asked for a trade away from the team with whom he's spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career and won a Super Bowl.

Reports have emerged over the offseason of Wilson's reported unhappiness with the Seahawks and a rift with head coach Pete Carroll over Wilson's belief that his play-calling has limited his production.

Dalton joins a crowded QB field in Chicago with both Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles still under contract with the team.