Trade Candidate: Bears QB Nick Foles
A year ago, there was hope that Nick Foles could guide the Bears to the postseason. Now, the veteran quarterback finds himself on the outside looking in with the franchise.
Chicago has completely revamped their quarterbacks room this offseason. The team first signed veteran Andy Dalton to take over the starting gig, and they surprised many pundits when they traded up to select Justin Fields with the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s draft. As a result of the quarterback refresh, Foles will find himself as the third quarterback heading into 2021. Matt Nagy indicated as much the other day, referring to Fields as “the guy” if Dalton ends up getting sidelined with an injury, and the coach seemed pretty steadfast on the team’s current pecking order.
“There will be a process and a plan,” Nagy said (via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Tribune). “We will stick to that. That plan is not going to change tomorrow. The plan is not going to change in training camp. The plan is a plan — and it’s been thought out.
“All three of those guys know that you need to produce, you need to play well, you need to compete, you need to be the best quarterback you can be. And then it’s going to be really pretty easy for us to see who that is and how that goes.”
Normally, a team would probably let the veteran third-stringer go so he could find his next gig before training camp. However, it’d end up costing the Bears more to cut Foles than keep him. The 32-year-old is still owed $4MM in guaranteed money, and they’d be left with a hefty $6.6MM dead cap charge if they release him. In other words, cutting Foles would just exasperate the Bears salary cup crunch, meaning the only way Foles isn’t on the roster to start 2021 is if he’s traded.
Of course, it takes two to tango, and the Bears front office would need to find a taker for Foles. The former Super Bowl MVP didn’t impress during his first season in Chicago; he guided the Bears to a 2-5 record in his seven starts, completing 64.7-percent of his passes for 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Teams probably aren’t lining up for Foles services at the moment, but that could easily change. QBs will surely suffer injuries during training camp and the preseason, and those teams could easily turn to the Bears if they need an experienced arm.
Further, teams will also get clarity on their quarterback depth throughout August. For instance, several pundits have recently suggested that the Jets would be a logical suitor for Foles as a backup to Zach Wilson. The team will surely want to get a thorough look at their current backup options (including 2020 fourth-round pick James Morgan and former UDFA Mike White) before they start exploring the trade market, but they could be at least one suitor who’s uninspired by their current choices.
While Foles disappointed in 2020, he’s not far removed from that iconic 2017 (and, to a lesser extent, 2018) run, and teams would surely take him on as their number-two QB. However, if one of these teams does want to acquire the veteran, they’ll likely have to do so via trade.
Eddie Goldman May Not Return To Bears This Year?
The Eddie Goldman saga might not have a happy ending for Bears fans. The veteran defensive tackle opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, but Chicago coaches said back in February they were expecting him back for 2021.
Then Goldman skipped the teams voluntary offseason program and their mandatory minicamp. For no-showing the minicamp he racked up a $93K fine. At minicamp Bears head coach Matt Nagy said that the team still expected him to be “rocking and rolling there at training camp,” but Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune says not so fast.
It’s now a “legitimate question,” as to whether or not Goldman will return to the Bears, Biggs writes. He adds that one league source “suggested Goldman could be weighing retirement.” He does also note that Bears linebacker backed Nagy up by expressing confidence Goldman would be at training camp as well, so who know.
Either way, it’s an interesting situation to keep an eye on. Goldman, the 2015 second-round pick who signed a four-year, $42MM extension with Chicago back in 2018, is a key part of the team’s run defense when on the field. He started at least 15 games in three straight seasons from 2016-18. The Florida State product has also shown some flashes as a pass-rusher up the middle, racking up 12.5 sacks in 67 career games.
Status Of 7 Remaining Franchise-Tagged Players
Ten players comprised this year’s franchise tag contingent — down from 14 in 2020. However, the Broncos, Cowboys and Giants reached extension agreements with their tagged players — Justin Simmons, Dak Prescott and Leonard Williams, respectively — to leave seven tag recipients unsigned entering July.
With the July 15 deadline to extend franchise-tagged players less than two weeks away, here is where things stand with the remaining members of the group:
WR Chris Godwin, Buccaneers
Rather than tag Shaquil Barrett for a second straight year, the Bucs cuffed Godwin at $15.9MM. The defending Super Bowl champions found room for Barrett and every other notable free agent they had this offseason, going into overdrive in their effort to defend their second championship. Like every other franchise-tagged player this year, Godwin has signed his tender. The former third-round pick has said he wants to stay in Tampa long-term. The Bucs have Mike Evans signed to a now-below-market deal ($16.5MM per year), so it will be interesting to see how they navigate negotiations with his less accomplished (but three years younger, at 25) sidekick.
S Marcus Maye, Jets
Tagged months after the Jets traded Jamal Adams, Maye has not exactly enjoyed a smooth negotiating process. Just before the Jets tagged Maye, his agent slammed the team for a lackluster effort to extend the four-year starter beforehand. The Jets have carried on negotiations since applying the tag and are believed to have been steadfast in this approach, but this has not necessarily translated to progress. These talks are expected to go down to the wire. Maye, 28, not signing an extension by July 15 would keep the Mike Maccagnan-era draft choice on the $10.6MM tag.
OT Taylor Moton, Panthers
While the Panthers’ left tackle position has been one of the toughest to fill over the past decade, Moton has locked down the team’s right tackle post. A 2017 second-round pick, Moton has not missed a game since debuting in Carolina’s lineup in Week 1 of the 2018 season. The Panthers have a new regime in place, but the Matt Rhule–Scott Fitterer duo hopes to extend Moton.
The right tackle market moved this week, with Ryan Ramczyk agreeing to a $19.2MM-per-year extension. Moton, 26, is not a candidate to top that, but he may be primed to fill the gap between the top tier (Ramczyk and $18MM-AAV Lane Johnson) and Jack Conklin‘s $14MM-AAV deal. Moton is attached to a $13.8MM franchise tender.
WR Allen Robinson, Bears
Tagged at a higher price ($17.98MM) than Godwin because of his previous contract, Robinson has been the Bears’ No. 1 option on offense for the past three years. This has not translated to harmony between he and the team. Robinson has expressed frustration with the Bears’ tactics during his lengthy extension talks, which date back to last year, and he at one point surfaced in trade rumors.
This will be the eighth-year veteran’s age-28 season. A long-term Robinson deal would pair well with Justin Fields‘ rookie contract, with no other Bears receiver making even midlevel money, but the former third-round pick did not sound especially confident a deal will be finalized by the deadline.
OT Cam Robinson, Jaguars
This might be the closest to a “prove it” tag in this year’s lot. The former second-round pick has recovered from the ACL tear that cost him 14 games in 2018, starting 30 over the past two seasons. But Robinson, 25, has yet to show he is among the better players at the left tackle position. Without a viable replacement lined up, the Jaguars tagged the Alabama alum at $13.8MM. It would make sense for the Urban Meyer regime to gauge Robinson’s contract-year performance and reassess the matter next year. Holding the most cap space in the NFL ($38MM), the Jags can afford to carry Robinson’s tag figure this season.
G Brandon Scherff, Washington
Washington and its top offensive lineman have been at this for a while. A 2015 first-round pick, Scherff has been eligible for an extension since the 2017 season ended. Instead, Washington has seen another tag situation near the point of no return. The four-time Pro Bowl guard has played on the fifth-year option and the franchise tag, pushing this year’s tag price to $18MM. A third tag is unrealistic, as the Kirk Cousins standoff showed, and no deal this month would push Scherff toward free agency in 2022. The team wants to extend the 29-year-old blocker, but it will almost certainly take a guard-record agreement to do so. Joe Thuney raised the position’s ceiling with a $16MM-AAV deal in March.
S Marcus Williams, Saints
The Saints’ salary cap tightrope walk included a $10.6MM Williams tag, completing an odyssey that began with the team $100MM-plus over this year’s reduced cap. With New Orleans already doing the rare fifth-year option restructure with Marshon Lattimore, a Williams extension would be the easiest way to create more cap room. The team checked the top item off its offeseason to-do list, the Ramcyzk extension, but it may well have either a Lattimore or Williams re-up in its near-future plans.
Part of New Orleans’ impact 2017 draft class, the 24-year-old safety has been a starter from Day 1. Even though Lattimore may be a higher extension priority, the team coming all the way back from $100MM over the cap to use a franchise tag illustrates its view of Williams’ work.
Kindle Vildor Favorite To Replace Kyle Fuller?
The Bears made Kyle Fuller a surprise cap casualty shortly after free agency’s outset, and while the team did sign Desmond Trufant, the former well-paid Falcon has struggled with injuries in each of the past two seasons. Chicago has resisted adding more help at the position, and Trufant may not have the inside track to start opposite Jaylon Johnson at outside cornerback. After a strong minicamp, Kindle Vildor may be ahead of Trufant on the track toward a starting job, Adam Jahns of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Although the 2020 fifth-round pick out of Georgia Southern only played 135 defensive snaps as a rookie, new DC Sean Desai mentioned him as an in-house solution to replace either Fuller or departed slot corner Buster Skrine. The Bears going with Vildor alongside Johnson will certainly represent an experience step back, with Fuller and Skrine having combined to play 17 seasons.
Allen Robinson On Possibility Of Bears Extension
Aside from some short-lived optimism last September, it has generally felt like the Bears and WR Allen Robinson are unlikely to come to terms on a new contract. In January, we heard that Chicago was bracing for the possibility that Robinson would leave in free agency, and shortly thereafter, Robinson said that the club had yet to put a viable offer on the table.
While the Bears obviously cuffed Robinson with the franchise tag to keep him in the fold for 2021, the most recent reports on the matter suggested that no progress has been made towards an extension. In an interview on NFL Total Access today, Robinson didn’t give much of an answer when asked about the prospects of a long-term deal.
“We’ll see,” he said (via Grant Gordon of NFL.com). “I think the biggest thing like, again, like I said, just about going out there this year, having fun, making plays, trying to help this team get back into the playoffs. I think that’s the main thing.”
Robinson, who will turn 28 in August, has been a rare bright spot on a Chicago offense that has struggled over the past couple of seasons. From 2019-20, the Penn State product has averaged 100 catches for nearly 1,200 yards despite drawing the top corners from opposing defenses and catching passes from Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles, and Chase Daniel.
It’s hard to say if his numbers will improve much in 2021. The Bears are set to deploy Andy Dalton under center to start the season, and Dalton is far removed from the passer he was during his best years in Cincinnati. As long as he remains the starting QB, the Bears’ offense will probably resemble the Trubisky/Foles attack of 2020.
With receivers like Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper now earning $20MM+ on an annual basis, it stands to reason that Robinson will shoot for a similar payout. To date, the Bears have not come close to meeting his asking price, but given the projected salary cap spike in 2022, there may well be a couple of teams willing to pay up next offseason if Robinson continues to perform at a high level.
Anthony Miller On Bears’ Roster Bubble
Anthony Miller came up in trade rumors at the start of free agency and popped up again as a movable piece closer to the draft. The Bears ended up holding onto their contract-year slot receiver, but this certainly does not mean Miller will be in Chicago this season.
Miller’s trade-block status was not about obtaining value for a player the Bears do not plan to re-sign, with Adam Jahns of The Athletic noting the former second-round pick is on Chicago’s roster bubble going into training camp (subscription required).
This comes after a minor injury prevented Miller from participating in Chicago’s minicamp earlier this month. Quality minicamp showings elevated veteran signings Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd past Miller in the Bears’ receiver pecking order, Jahns adds, with third- and fourth-year wideouts Riley Ridley and Javon Wims joining Miller on the bubble.
Darnell Mooney usurped Miller as the Bears’ No. 2 wide receiver last season, playing 73% of the team’s offensive snaps (to Miller’s 55%) and outgaining him 631-485 through the air. Neither surpassed 10.5 yards per catch, however, for a still-Allen Robinson-dependent passing attack. Miller has flashed in the past, catching seven touchdown passes while playing through injury as a rookie and posting 656 receiving yards with Mitchell Trubisky at the helm in 2019. The Bears will still need to see more come camp.
Rookie sixth-rounder Dazz Newsome is sidelined with a broken collarbone, and although Goodwin will be on time to camp after failing to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in the long jump, the speedster has not caught a pass in a game since November 2019. Ridley and Wims’ roster statuses appear more tenuous than Miller’s as well, with Jahns adding the Bears would likely be more willing to carry Miller onto the roster after cutdown day compared to the other two. Miller is set to earn $1.21MM in base salary this season.
Goodwin Fails To Qualify For Olympics
Marquise Goodwin‘s bid to make a second U.S. Olympic team failed Friday. The Bears wide receiver was unable to qualify for Sunday’s finals in the long jump, placing 19th out of 24 jumpers in the prelims at the U.S. Olympic trials. An Olympian in 2012, Goodwin has now fallen short of returning to the U.S. team in back-to-back trials. He placed seventh at the 2016 Rio-qualifying event. The 30-year-old’s best jump a 24-foot, 10-inch leap, was nearly three feet shy of his career-best mark — set at the 2012 trials. Goodwin falling short should not exactly surprise, given his focus on an NFL career in the years since the London Games. Although the veteran wideout met the Olympic standard at a March meet, he has been far from an active jumper during his NFL career. He can now transition to full-time football prep. Goodwin, who signed with the Bears in April, will now be on track to join his team on time for training camp.
Bears Had Talks With OT Morgan Moses
It sounds like the Bears are in the market for a starting left tackle. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that Chicago “had fruitful talks” with Morgan Moses.
[RELATED: Jets To Sign Morgan Moses]
The Bears intended to play Moses at left tackle. Garafolo notes that Moses is more comfortable playing right tackle, and the veteran will ultimately play that position with the Jets.
It’s not a huge surprise that the Bears are looking for some reinforcement at offensive tackle. The organization moved on from veterans Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie this past offseason, and Moses would have provided some experience to an offensive tackle corps that has appeared in a total of 10 career games. The team drafted Teven Jenkins in the second round of this past year’s draft, but even if the team throws him into the starting lineup, they could still use some extra depth.
If the Bears can’t secure a starting offensive tackle during training camp or preseason, they’ll presumably want to add an experienced backup. Jenkins and Elijah Wilkinson are slotted in at the starting offensive tackle spots at the moment, meaning any of fifth-round rookie Larry Borom, 2020 seventh-round pick Lachavious Simmons, and 2020 undrafted free agent Badara Traore could find themselves playing significant snaps.
Bears’ Marquise Goodwin In Long Jump Field At U.S. Olympic Trials
Marquise Goodwin signed with the Bears in April and is vying for one of Chicago’s receiver spots following a 2020 opt-out. The veteran wide receiver will also attempt to capture a spot on the U.S. Olympic team Friday afternoon.
A 2012 Olympian in the long jump, Goodwin will compete for a spot at the Tokyo Games in the event. The long jump competition at the U.S. trials in Eugene, Ore., begins at 3:30pm CT. Goodwin missed out on the Rio Games in 2016, finishing in seventh at the trials. He placed 10th in London nine years ago.
Despite Goodwin’s NFL standing not being what it was when he last attempted to make an Olympic team, Bears coaches were behind his bid to make this year’s squad, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune notes. Goodwin, 30, last made the U.S. team in the long jump while at Texas but missed out ahead of his final Bills season.
This year, Goodwin jumped the Olympic standard at a meet in March. That mark of 8.12 meters (26 feet, 6 inches) is tied for 25th in the world this year, but it ranks eighth among American long jumpers. The top three finishers today qualify for the U.S. team. Goodwin is part of a 24-jumper field in Eugene. That group includes two jumpers — reigning Olympic champ Jeff Henderson and LSU’s JuVaughn Harrison — who have eclipsed Goodwin’s career-best jump (8.33 meters, set at the 2012 trials) this season.
Should the 5-foot-9 wideout make his second Olympic team, he will be late to Bears training camp. The Tokyo Games begin July 23; the long jump competition is scheduled for August 2. The Bears begin camp July 27. Goodwin joins Damiere Byrd as veteran newcomers aiming to make Chicago’s 53-man roster; the Bears also used a sixth-round pick on Dazz Newsome. Goodwin’s one-year deal comes in barely north of the league minimum, but the Bears did guarantee him $350K.
Poll: Who Is Bucs’ Top NFC Challenger?
While the Chiefs reside as the clear favorites in the AFC, multiple successful rebuilds have strengthened the conference and created considerable depth going into the 2021 season. In the NFC, depth is harder to find.
The Buccaneers operated aggressively this offseason, bringing back every starter and most of their top off-the-bench contributors to chase another championship, and late-June betting odds reflect this. Tampa Bay resides as the clear NFC favorite, per Las Vegas. The team did not enter 2020 on this pedestal, but the NFC landscape looks less imposing a year later.
The Saints exited the 2020 season in a new tier of salary cap hell, and although GM Mickey Loomis navigated it, their 2021 team may take a step back. Oddsmakers certainly believe this will be the case in the franchise’s first post-Drew Brees season. New Orleans has been the NFC’s most consistent team over the past four years, going 49-15 in that span, but its future Hall of Fame quarterback retired. Tampa Bay’s path back to the Super Bowl also may not involve another Canton-bound passer — Aaron Rodgers — which further muddles the equation.
January’s Matthew Stafford trade seems a good place to start. The Rams dealing two first-round picks and change for the longtime Lions passer provides Sean McVay with a quarterback upgrade, and the team perpetually unconcerned with first-round selections is operating like an all-in contender. Los Angeles, which Bovada gives the NFC’s second-best odds to advance to Super Bowl LVI, also re-signed top edge rusher Leonard Floyd. While the Rams’ penchant for big swings and big extensions led more key role players out of town in free agency, with safety John Johnson and defensive lineman Michael Brockers exiting, they return four starters from Pro Football Focus’ No. 3-ranked offensive line.
But the NFC West may be the NFL’s toughest division. No rebuilds are taking place here, separating it from most of the league’s divisions, and the 49ers rank alongside the Rams — per Bovada — in Super Bowl odds. San Francisco endured vicious injury fortune last season but has Super Bowl LIV starters — Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel — due back from injury. And the team kept Trent Williams — on an O-line-record contract. Kyle Shanahan‘s squad also moved the needle at quarterback, bringing in Trey Lance at a historic cost. Lance’s readiness may determine the 49ers’ outlook. Although Jimmy Garoppolo was effective (12th in QBR) when fully healthy in 2019, he missed 23 games over the past three seasons.
The Seahawks diffused Russell Wilson trade rumblings and added veteran guard Gabe Jackson. Their defense will be without Jarran Reed and probably K.J. Wright next season, however. Seattle has not advanced to an NFC championship game since Wilson’s rookie-contract years but still has the division’s most accomplished quarterback. The Cardinals brought in multiple impact starters, in future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt and Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson, in an effort to capitalize on Kyler Murray‘s rookie-deal window. But Murray struggled down the stretch last season, and Arizona will have two new cornerback regulars.
Rodgers’ commitment to being done in Green Bay represents the NFC’s biggest domino. The reigning MVP has not budged, and this standoff is expected to drag on to training camp. The Packers trading Rodgers, or the superstar passer being out of the picture while the team retains his rights, will probably take them off the board as a Super Bowl threat. Given the Packers’ 26-6 performance over the past two seasons, Rodgers’ status looms large in this year’s Super Bowl equation.
What sleeper teams realistically factor in here? The Cowboys extended Dak Prescott and hired a new defensive coordinator (Dan Quinn), but they have won one playoff game during their now-wealthy starter’s tenure and allowed a franchise-record 473 points in 2020. Washington boasts one of the league’s best defenses but opted against trading up for a quarterback in Round 1. Ryan Fitzpatrick will turn 39 this year and has never made a playoff start. The Bears did trade up for a passer, and the Vikings retooled their defense. The Giants made multiple splashy receiver additions but have big questions up front. Do any of these teams qualify as legit Bucs obstacles?
Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your NFC assessments in the comments section.
Who is the Buccaneers' top NFC challenger?
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Another team (specify in comments) 26% (818)
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Los Angeles Rams 25% (771)
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Seattle Seahawks 17% (527)
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San Francisco 49ers 16% (509)
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Green Bay Packers 15% (480)
Total votes: 3,105