Two seasons of subpar play and a three-week bargain basement fire sale culminated on Wednesday afternoon when the Chicago Bears dealt quarterback Cade McNown to the Miami Dolphins.

A deal was hardly unexpected, since new Bears general manager Jerry Angelo has been shopping the team's 1999 first-round draft choice for weeks in trade talks, and Miami was the only team willing to part with even a low-round pick for his services.

	McNown

The Bears get a sixth-round draft pick in 2002 and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2003. Miami also receives a 2002 seventh-round selection.

The Bears could get as high as a third-round pick in 2003, depending on how much McNown plays this season or next. If he makes the 80-man roster, the pick becomes a sixth-rounder. Once McNown plays, the pick is at least a fifth-rounder and could become a third-rounder if McNown starts.

"It's a good deal for Cade because it's a fresh start in a place where he doesn't bring any of the baggage people perceived him to have in Chicago," agent Tom Condon said. "As the thing played out, we were hoping it would be Miami. I think what they do offensively suits his strengths pretty well."

The Dolphins were among the first teams to indicate interest in McNown, who was never really a good fit with the Bears and who frequently irked his teammates with his on-field performance and his off-field demeanor. Some of the others clubs to whom Angelo spoke in recent days had broken off trade discussions assuming Chicago would have no market for McNown and would eventually release him.

A former UCLA standout, McNown, 24, was the 12th overall player chosen in the 1999 draft, and the last of five quarterbacks selected in the first round that year. Chicago traded down twice in the first round, having targeted McNown, and actually passed on another quarterback, Daunte Culpepper.

From the outset, though, the marriage between McNown and the Bears was a rocky one and it became apparent in training camp this summer a divorce was in the best interests of both parties. Because Angelo has no ties to the drafting of McNown, he clearly harbored neither loyalties to the quarterback nor qualms about giving up on him.

"A change of scenery is probably going to do him a lot of good," said Dolphins guard Todd Perry, who played the last eight seasons with the Bears. "Chicago is a tough town to play in for everybody involved, coaches and players. They demand a lot out of their athletes.

"Getting in a situation where he doesn't have that pressure like he did in Chicago, I think he'll do well."

McNown seems a better fit for a Miami offense in which coordinator Chan Gailey likes mobile quarterbacks. McNown will be third on the depth chart, behind Jay Fiedler and Ray Lucas, but could figure into the Dolphins' future plans.

"This has no bearing on our starter, Jay Fiedler, or our backup, Ray Lucas," Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said. "I could not be happier with our quarterback play to this point, but anytime there's an opportunity to possibly better your football team in the future there's an obligation to do that. We really believe this could be an opportunity."

The departure of McNown via trade means the Bears will have to assume a salary cap hit of about $3.1 million. The quarterback is a bargain for Miami, since his base salaries through the 2005 season are at the league minimums, including $389,000 this year.

McNown was scheduled to arrive in Miami on Wednesday night and would need to pass a physical before the deal was official. Wannstedt said McNown would not play Saturday night against the Green Bay Packers and might not play the team's preseason finale Aug. 31 against Minnesota.

"This will be a breath of fresh air, an opportunity to start from scratch knowing that you're not going to have to be a factor," Wannstedt said. "We'll see how he responds. He just wants an opportunity. He's excited about coming to Miami and being a part of this and doing anything he can to help. We'll see."

In his two years, McNown has played in 25 games and started 15 of them. He completed 281 of 515 passes for 3,111 yards, with 16 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton and the Associated Press contributed to this report.