Bears Shopping WR Anthony Miller
The Bears do not know who their starting quarterback will be yet, but they might have determined one player will not fit in their 2021 passing attack.
Chicago is discussing Anthony Miller in trades, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The former second-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Miller is due a $1.21MM base salary next season. He is likely to be dealt, Schefter adds.
Allen Robinson is back, via the franchise tag, and the Bears also have Darnell Mooney coming back as a supporting-caster. The Bears traded up for Mooney last year. While Miller would seemingly fit as an additional auxiliary option and is not a financial hindrance, Bears brass evidently has seen enough to dangle him in trade talks.
Although Miller has battled injuries as a pro, he has only missed one game since the Bears drafted him. The slot option has only eclipsed 500 receiving yards in one of his three seasons, but Chicago’s quarterback situation — largely a Mitchell Trubisky-led setup during Miller’s tenure — did not exactly make for the best environment for a young receiver to develop. It will be interesting to see what the Bears can collect in a deal for the 26-year-old target.
Bears Interested In Andy Dalton
The Bears have interest in signing Andy Dalton, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Dalton, who will turn 34 in October, started nine games for the Cowboys last year.
Dalton wasn’t great in his fill-in starts for Dak Prescott, but the Bears are exploring every option possible. As it stands, veteran Nick Foles projects to serve as their starter and Mitch Trubisky probably won’t be back as their safety net.
“Everything is on the table in regard to the quarterback situation,” GM Ryan Pace said recently. “And, honestly, that includes players on our current roster, that includes free agency, trade, the draft and a combination of all those. We have a plan in place, and now it’s about executing that plan.”
Around this time last year, Dalton said that he wanted to start in 2021. There’s a non-trivial chance that the Bears could give him that opportunity, though they’d much prefer to have the ex-Bengals QB as the backup to someone else.
Latest On Seahawks, Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson trade winds continue to blow, but this process may not reach that point in the near future. The Seahawks are not believed to be seriously listening to offers at this point, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
The Bears’ rumored push for Wilson has yet to move the needle for the Seahawks, Rapoport adds, though it is unclear if an offer has come from Chicago. The Seahawks have received calls on Wilson since around Super Bowl LV, after which he took his concerns about his situation public.
While Wilson and Pete Carroll were viewed to be at odds at points last season, the two Seattle power brokers have spoken periodically this offseason, Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com report (Insider link). This communication has not progressed to a sitdown meeting between the longtime coworkers, but it would back up talk about the Seahawks being uninterested in moving their franchise quarterback.
It would cost the Seahawks $39MM in dead money to deal Wilson before June 1 — by far a record dead-cap hit — and it would certainly be a major hit to the team’s contention hopes were it to unload the best quarterback in franchise history. Wilson has not formally requested a trade but has identified four destinations. Three of those — the Bears, Raiders and Saints — would remain viable, with the Cowboys having extended Dak Prescott last week.
Bears Re-Sign Mario Edwards
The Bears will re-sign defensive lineman Mario Edwards, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk was first to report. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com added that it will be a three-year contract for the 2015 second-rounder, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting that the deal is worth $11.55MM (Twitter links). Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the deal includes $5.5MM in guaranteed money.
It’s unclear how much of that is guaranteed, but it represents a nice payday for Edwards, who bounced around the league for a couple of years before finding some stability in Chicago in 2020. Though he played in just under a quarter of the Bears’ defensive snaps last season, he managed a career-best four sacks and graded out as the third-best interior defender in the league, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.
The limited snap count and the inherent uncertainty in PFF’s metrics suggest that Edwards’ stellar overall grade of 90.1 might skew a little high, but the Bears clearly feel confident that he can continue to be a productive rotational piece if nothing else. That is despite the fact that Edwards will be suspended for the first two games of the 2021 season due to a PED violation.
The deal comes one day after the Bears finalized a series of restructures to get under the 2021 salary cap of $182.5MM.
Bears Restructure Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, Cody Whitehair Contracts
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.
Bears To Extend P Pat O’Donnell
The Bears will ensure punter continuity remains in 2021. They agreed to terms with longtime specialist Pat O’Donnell on Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Unlike O’Donnell’s 2019 pact, this is a one-year deal. The Bears have retained Cairo Santos and now O’Donnell on back-to-back days.
While Chicago went through a rather publicized kicker rough patch, the team has not had similar issues at punter. O’Donnell arrived as a 2014 sixth-round pick and has maintained his job since Week 1 of his rookie season. The 45.7 yards per punt O’Donnell averaged last season marked his best since the 2017 season.
O’Donnell, now 30, played on a two-year, $3.5MM contract previously. He also signed a one-year deal that covered the 2018 season. This will be his fourth Bears accord.
Bears Re-Sign K Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos is sticking around Chicago. The Bears have signed the impending free agent kicker to a new five-year deal, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
The deal is worth $16MM and has a maximum value of $17.5MM, according to Biggs. However, the final two years of the deal are voidable, effectively making it a three-year, $9MM deal (with a max value of $11MM). The entire deal includes $4.575MM in guaranteed money, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).
Santos initially joined the Bears last offseason, but he was cut at the end of preseason. He quickly rejoined the team when kicker Eddy Pineiro landed on IR, and Santos proceeded to put forth one of the best kicking seasons in franchise history. The 29-year-old connected on 3o of his 32 field goal attempts, leading to a franchise-best field goal percentage (93.8). He also set the franchise mark in consecutive field goals made, connecting on 27-straight during the 2020 campaign.
Santos spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Chiefs, but he’s bounced around the NFL since getting dumped during the 2017 season. He had a previous stint with the Bears to finish his 2017 campaign, and he’s since spent time with the Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, and Titans. The kicker’s recent inconsistency (he made only 68.8% of his kicks between the 2017 and 2019 seasons) explains why he hasn’t been able to find a steady gig, but it sounds like he’s found a home in Chicago. Similarly, the Bears have finally found an answer at kicker, at least for the next few seasons. As Biggs writes, the Bears have had a carousel at the position since letting go of Robbie Gould in 2016.
NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2021 Draft
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2021 draft.
These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2020 offseason. This year, the NFL awarded 36 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks. The Cowboys top the list (shared below) with a league-high four selections.
A change to this year’s formula took place, with the NFL awarding four picks to teams who saw one of their minority staffers become a head coach or GM. The 49ers, Rams, Ravens and Saints earned third-round comp picks this year. They will receive additional third-rounders in 2022. The Rams added a third-rounder after losing college scouting director Brad Holmes (Lions GM); the Ravens lost quarterbacks coach David Culley (Texans HC); the Saints lost assistant GM Terry Fontenot (Falcons GM). In losing VP of player personnel Martin Mayhew (Washington GM) and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh (Jets HC), the 49ers will have an additional third-round pick in 2023 as well.
Here’s the full breakdown, by round and by team:
By round:
Round 3: Patriots (No. 96 overall), Chargers (97), Saints (98), Cowboys (99), Titans (100), Rams (101), 49ers (102)*, Rams (103)*, Ravens (104)*, Saints (105)*
Round 4: Cowboys (No. 139 overall), Patriots (140), Steelers (141), Rams (142), Packers (143), Vikings (144), Chiefs (145)
Round 5: Packers (No. 178 overall), Cowboys (179), Falcons (180), 49ers (181), Chiefs (182), Falcons (183), Ravens (184)
Round 6: Buccaneers (No. 217 overall), Saints (218), Falcons (219), Packers (220), Bears (221), Panthers (222), Vikings (223), Eagles (224), Eagles (225), Panthers (226), Cowboys (227), Bears (228)
By team:
- Dallas Cowboys (4)
- Atlanta Falcons (3)
- Green Bay Packers (3)
- Los Angeles Rams (3)
- New Orleans Saints (3)
- Baltimore Ravens (2)
- Carolina Panthers (2)
- Chicago Bears (2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2)
- Minnesota Vikings (2)
- New England Patriots (2)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2)
- San Francisco 49ers (2)
- Los Angeles Chargers (1)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
- Tennessee Titans (1)
* = special compensatory selection
NFL’s Fifth-Year Option Salaries For 2021
The NFL’s 2021 salary cap has been set at $182.5MM, marking the league’s first reduction in a decade. With that, the league has also ironed out the value of this year’s fifth-round option for 2018 first-round picks.
Here’s the full rundown, via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter):
1. Baker Mayfield, Browns, QB — $18.858MM (playing time)
2. Saquon Barkley, Giants, RB — $7.217MM (1x Pro Bowl)
3. Sam Darnold, Jets, QB — $18.858MM (playing time)
4. Denzel Ward, Browns, CB — $13.294MM (1x Pro Bowl)
5. Bradley Chubb, Broncos, LB — $12.716MM (1x Pro Bowl)
6. Quenton Nelson, Colts, G — $13.754MM (2x Pro Bowl)
7. Josh Allen, Bills, QB — $23.106MM (1x Pro Bowl)
8. Roquan Smith, Bears, LB — $9.735MM (playing time)
9. Mike McGlinchey, 49ers, OT — $10.88MM (playing time)
10. Josh Rosen, Cardinals, QB*
11. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers, S (drafted by Dolphins) — $10.612MM (2x Pro Bowl)
12. Vita Vea, Buccaneers, DT — $7.638MM
13. Daron Payne, Washington, DT — $8.529MM (playing time)
14. Marcus Davenport, Saints, DE — $9.553MM
15. Kolton Miller, Raiders, OT — $10.88MM (playing time)
16. Tremaine Edmunds, Bills, LB — $12.716MM (1x Pro Bowl)
17. Derwin James, Chargers, S — $9.052MM (1x Pro Bowl)
18. Jaire Alexander, Packers, CB — $13.294MM (1x Pro Bowl)
19. Leighton Vander Esch, Cowboys, LB — $9.145MM
20. Frank Ragnow, Lions, C — $12.657MM (1x Pro Bowl)
21. Billy Price, Bengals, C — $10.413MM
22. Rashaan Evans, Titans, LB — $9.735MM (playing time)
23. Isaiah Wynn, Patriots, OT — $10.413MM
24. D.J. Moore, Panthers, WR — $11.116MM (playing time)
25. Hayden Hurst, Falcons, TE (Drafted by Ravens) — $5.428MM
26. Calvin Ridley, Falcons, WR — $11.116MM (playing time)
27. Rashaad Penny, Seahawks, RB — $4.523MM
28., Steelers, S Terrell Edmunds — $6.753MM (playing time)
29. Taven Bryan, Jaguars, DT — $7.638MM
30. Mike Hughes, Vikings, CB — $12.643MM
31. Sony Michel, Patriots, RB — $4.523MM
32. Lamar Jackson, Ravens, QB — $23.106MM (1x Pro Bowl)
* Rosen was released from his original contract and, therefore, is not option-eligible
As a refresher, the fifth-year option year is now fully guaranteed. In the past, it was guaranteed for injury only. The values are also dependent on certain performance metrics:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
- Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the 3rd-20th highest salaries at their position:
- 75%+ snaps in two of their first three seasons
- 75%+ average across all three seasons
- 50%+ in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will get the average of the 3rd-25th top salaries at their position.
NFL Sets $182.5MM Salary Cap
The NFL salary cap has been set at $182.5MM, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks a sizable (though expected) drop from last year’s $198.2MM limit.
Teams will not be allowed to borrow cap room from future years, per the CBA, so teams are basically stuck with the hard cap and difficult choices ahead. However, teams do have other ways to navigate the cap, including rollover from 2020, post-June 1 cuts, and contract restructuring.
With the new salary cap, the league has also determined the values of this year’s franchise tag tenders (Twitter link):
- Quarterback $25.104MM
- Running Back $8.655MM
- Tight End $9.601MM
- Offensive Lineman $13.754MM
- Defensive End $16.069MM
- Defensive Tackle $13.888M
- Linebacker $14.791M
- Cornerback $15.06MM
- Kicker/Punter $4.482MM
Here’s the full rundown of this year’s franchise tags, including players on repeat tags who receive a 20% increase:
- Giants DL Leonard Williams $19.35MM
- Washington G Brandon Scherff $18.03MM
- Bears WR Allen Robinson $18MM
- Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin $15.98MM
- Jaguars OT Cam Robinson $13.75MM
- Panthers OT Taylor Moton $13.75MM
- Broncos S Justin Simmons $13.73MM
- Jets S Marcus Maye $10.61MM
- Saints S Marcus Williams $10.61MM