Residing over the cap entering the weekend, the Bears made a few moves to create more than $20MM in cap space and inch under the $182.5MM salary ceiling.
Chicago will restructure the contracts of Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson and Cody Whitehair, according to Adam Schefter, who adds these moves will create more than $23MM in cap space (Twitter link). The Bears previously had the NFL’s second-worst cap situation, residing nearly $20MM over the cap.
The Bears previously restructured Mack’s deal in 2019. He was due to count more than $26MM against Chicago’s 2021 cap. This marks the first restructure of Jackson’s five-year, $58.4MM deal. Ditto for Whitehair’s five-year, $51.3MM pact. The two combined to count just more than $20MM against Chicago’s cap this year.
The team still has work to do in the cap-space department, and the reshufflings will certainly be connected to a potential quarterback salary. In dire need at quarterback, the Bears are planning to pursue a Russell Wilson trade. Were the Bears to pull off a miraculous deal, they would need to account for by far the biggest contract in franchise history. Wilson’s $35MM-per-year accord runs through 2023.
#FireRyanPace
No way they’re getting Wilson.
If you fire, you have to fire Matt Nagy
Deal.
Promise?
They need to restructure GM Ryan Pace contract to 0.
That’s too much
Not a Bears fan, but I would agree. Second worst cap situation in the league and it got them total mediocrity.
Bears are an awful franchise. How about Robert Quinn and his ridiculous contract that everyone knew was an overpay besides Ryan Pace
Pursuing a RW trade?? With what?? They don’t have anything to trade. RW won’t be traded for a late round first…or even a few.
Not to mention the 39 million dollar cap hit Seattle would take
It can be done with many draft picks. Seattle
can rebuild. The Bears will suck with Wilson and nothing around him.
Many??? I would say six. How many Rashad Pennys and LJ Colliers would it take to get RW?? Seattle doesn’t need any late first rounders…that’s why they traded them all for Jamal Adams.
Seattle being awful at drafting doesn’t mean they get more from other teams in a trade.
6 sounds about right. Remember we’re talking Pace here. He would love nothing more than to atone for his trading up one spot to get Trubisky when no one else wanted him.
Not a chance Seattle trades Russ to Bears, the talk is pointless, neither team can do it with the cap implications.
Bears will have cap issues for next several years by kicking the can down the road. Best to use the draft to address problem positions cheaply. Get a starting offensive tackle with their first pick, maybe even trading down a bit to add a pick, then get their “Russell Wilson” QB with their second pick, trading up if they have to for Trey Lance in the early 2nd or end of the first like Ravens did with Lamar Jackson.
It would help if they could either extend Kyle Fuller to give themselves insurance he stays at a friendlier cap hit, or trade him this year for a 2nd or 3rd rounder to draft his replacement. I trust Pace can find a Safety, ILB, RB and WR in later rounds.
Trey Lance isn’t lasting to the end of the 1st let alone the 2nd. He’s a top 10 pick. He was a top 10 pick heading into his pro day and he had a good pro day so he won’t be sliding.
If the Bears offer something like FIVE FIRST ROUND PICKS, as Colin Cowherd (who still watches this dude?) suggested, the entire “brain” trust of the Chicago Bears should be run out of town by locals bearing torches and pitchforks. Yes, even Virginia.
You can’t trade beyond 3 seasons.
That’s funny Cowherd said that. You can trade 3 two years ahead of this year, so 3 1st rounders, or when the draft starts they can trade 4 1st rounders. Not possible to trade 5.
Not even the Robert Quinn contract, he’s actually had consecutive successful seasons. Paying Eddie Jackson, or any other safety for that matter, $12m+/yr is a recipe for disaster. His impact on the field in 2018 was maybe worth $12m, but he has not performed like a $12m player since.