Allen Robinson: No “Viable Option” From Bears
Allen Robinson isn’t “opposed” to staying put, but there’s still work to be done. This week, the wide receiver said that he has yet to be given a “viable option” from the Bears. 
[RELATED: Bears Did Not Make Offer For Wentz]
“My personal opinion, if something could possibly work? Yes,” Robinson said (via Tyler Dunne of Go Long). “I’m not opposed to being back in Chicago by any means. I’ve even expressed that over the last couple of years — wanting to be the all-time leading receiver in Chicago which, I believe, I’m under 2,000 yards away from that. With all that being said, unfortunately we’ve come to what seems to be a fork in the road. But not even a fork. We haven’t even been given a viable option to be able to do those things that we want to do without sacrificing a ridiculous amount pretty much for the rest of my career.”
One option for the Bears would be to use the franchise tag on Robinson, but that wouldn’t be especially “viable” for either party. Robinson doesn’t want to get tagged, and he’s been vocal about it. Meanwhile, the Bears would have a tough time fitting Robinson into the budget at the WR 1-5 average. The Bears are currently projected to be $10MM over the 2021 cap, so key players would need to be cut in order to balance the books.
On the flipside, head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace could be fighting for their jobs this year. Even if it’s not necessarily a good idea for the long term, the Bears could be inclined to pay Robinson what he wants. Robinson says he’s the market’s top wide receiver, which would put him in $20MM/year territory.
Browns Lead NFL In Salary Cap Carryover
Earlier today, the NFL Players Association announced (via Twitter) the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2021 season. Effectively, teams are able to rollover their unused cap from the previous season. So, when the 2021 salary cap numbers become official, they can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that individual club’s official cap for 2021.
This follows news from earlier today that the NFL has raised its salary cap floor to $180MM for 2021. This total could clue us in to the salary cap maximum, which could end up landing north of $190MM. The salary cap was $198.2MM for the 2020 campaign.
As the NFLPA detailed, the league will rollover $315.1MM from the 2020 season, an average of $9.8MM per team. The Browns lead the league with a whopping $30.4MM, and they’re the only team in the top-five to make the playoffs. The NFC East ($68.8MM) and AFC East ($65.3MM) are the two divisions will the largest carryover amounts.
The full list is below:
- Cleveland Browns: $30.4MM
- New York Jets: $26.7MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $25.4MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $23.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $22.8MM
- New England Patriots: $19.6MM
- Denver Broncos: $17.8MM
- Washington Football Team: $15.8MM
- Miami Dolphins: $15.2MM
- Detroit Lions: $12.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $10.8MM
- Houston Texans: $9.2MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $8.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $8.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $7MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $5.7MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $5.1MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $5MM
- New York Giants: $4.8MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $4.6MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $4.5MM
- Carolina Panthers: $4.3MM
- New Orleans Saints: $4.1MM
- Buffalo Bills: $3.8MM
- Green Bay Packers: $3.7MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $3.6MM
- Tennessee Titans: $2.3MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $1.9MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $1.8MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $956K
- Baltimore Ravens: $587K
Bears Did Not Make Offer For Carson Wentz
One of the two known Carson Wentz suitors during this trade saga, the Bears do not appear to have presented legitimate competition to the Colts for the former Eagles quarterback.
The Bears did discuss Wentz with the Eagles, but Jay Glazer of Fox Sports tweets the team did not make an offer for the former No. 2 overall pick. Chicago backed out of the trade talks recently, according to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). The Colts concluded the race by sending a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-rounder to the Eagles to land Frank Reich‘s former pupil.
Regardless of the Bears’ finishing position in the respective sweepstakes for Wentz and Matthew Stafford, they remain in search of a quarterback. Chicago does have a first-round pick for the first time since the 2018 draft, but thanks to the team’s late-season resurgence, that selection sits at No. 20 overall.
The Colts, who pick 21st, secured Wentz and will not be in the market for a major trade-up maneuver come April. Although other QBs may well be available for trade in this action-packed offseason, the Bears will be connected to a first-round trade-up going into a crucial year for the Ryan Pace–Matt Nagy regime. Nick Foles remains under Bears control for the 2021 season, on an easily manageable salary ($4MM), but the team will almost certainly bring in a starter-caliber passer via trade, free agency or the draft.
Bears Notes: Desai, Robinson, Massie, Skrine
Earlier this week, Sean Desai met with the media for the first time since being promoted to the role of defensive coordinator. While the 37-year-old will take over a defense that has ranked as a top-10 DVOA unit in each of the past three seasons, they’ve also seen some regression since peaking in 2018. However, Desai doesn’t believe the defensive needs a significant overhaul.
“I’m not a big car guy, so my analogies may not be great, but this is like a tune up,” Desai said (via the team’s website). “We’re going to refine some things and we’re going to make sure our players are playing to their strengths on a consistent basis and they’re going to buy into the system and the whys and the hows of why we’re doing certain things. But we’ve got a good defense. We’ve got really good players here.”
“There was some regression, and we’re going to overcome that,” Desai added. “But we’re going to do it in a positive way and we’re going to do it where the players are going to be able to shine through that defense. So I think we’ll build some depth and we’ll continue with our tough, physical mindset of play and do that over a 16- to 20-week season.”
Some more notes out of Chicago…
- CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes that the Bears are “prepared” to tag wideout Allen Robinson with the hope of eventually signing him to a long-term deal. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that it will be difficult to fit a franchised Robinson into a reduced 2021 cap, but the writer also admits that replacing Robinson would be a more daunting task.
- Speaking of the cap, Biggs provided some cost-cutting options for the Bears. The team could move on from right tackle Bobby Massie, although that would open a spot on the offensive line. Cornerback Buster Skrine could also lose his roster spot, especially since he has a $500K roster bonus due in March. Finally, Biggs also whether the front office will be receptive to paying tight end Jimmy Graham $7MM this season.
- As for restructured contracts, Biggs points to pass rusher Khalil Mack and safety Eddie Jackson, and he notes that the team could also extend cornerback Kyle Fuller. Alternatively, the team could look to retain free agents like Cairo Santos and Cordarrelle Patterson on low-money pacts.
- Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic passed along a few Bears players who have increased their 2021 salaries via proven performance escalators (Twitter links): defensive end Bilal Nichols (from $920K to $2.183MM) and guard James Daniels ($1.437MM to $2.183MM),. Their new salaries are contingent on the final 2021 cap number.
Latest On Carson Wentz, Bears Front Runners?
What we heard right before the Super Bowl made it sound like a Carson Wentz trade was imminent, but here on February 16th Wentz is still a member of the Eagles. In a recent piece, Albert Breer of SI.com broke down a few of the reasons why things are lagging. 
For starters, Breer writes that Philly’s steep asking price caused several potentially interested teams to “drop out of the running altogether.” In addition to his poor play last year, Breer also notes that a “less-talked-about problem is the growing reputation Wentz has of not reacting well to hard coaching.” Stuff like that has been hinted at the past couple years, but it sounds like it’s a full-blown issue at this point.
In an interview with Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports, Breer added that he believes the Bears are the “front runner” as of the beginning of this week. “It’s pretty clear at this point the Bears have pushed harder than the Colts to get Carson Wentz. The Eagles are probably going to get their best return for Carson Wentz from Chicago,” Breer said.
Breer writes that he doesn’t think the Eagles will get a first-round pick, unless there are compounding factors like salary dumps or other picks going back to the trade partner. Both Indy and Chicago’s staffs have ties to Wentz, and the Bears just recently promoted his former quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.
In recent days we’ve heard that both the Broncos and Patriots aren’t interested in Wentz, and there aren’t really any known suitors other than the Colts or Bears.
Latest On Bears, Allen Robinson
When the Bears and Allen Robinson resumed extension talks back in September, there was some optimism that the two sides could work out their differences and keep Robinson around long-term. That optimism was short-lived, as the relationship quickly devolved and he eventually started liking tweets encouraging him to skip town.
The last we heard about a month ago, the team was bracing for the star receiver to leave in free agency. However, it appears GM Ryan Pace might not let him walk out the door so easily. Pace recently talked about the franchise tag being a tool at the team’s disposal this offseason, and Adam Jahns of The Athletic thinks that was to send a message to Robinson and his reps that the team is going to play hardball.
Robinson has said recently he’s open to returning to Chicago, but doesn’t want to play under the tag. It seems the Bears are reluctant to pay his asking price, which is rumored to be top of the receiver market money. Meanwhile, the two sides haven’t had any further talks about an extension since those discussions way back in September, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports, so a long-term deal certainly doesn’t seem imminent.
Interestingly, Pelissero floated a potential tag and trade scenario as a viable option. “That would certainly seem to bring the (franchise) tag into play,” Pelissero said. “Whether it is the Bears to try to do an extension, whether it is setting up Robinson to play on the tag, or maybe even a tag-and-trade scenario.”
Robinson has managed to produce consistently despite playing with bottom-tier quarterbacks his entire career, and is still only 27, so if the Bears do dangle him in trade talks there will likely be no shortage of suitors. He had 102 catches for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns this past season, even as Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles shuffled back and forth ineffectively.
Bears Expect Eddie Goldman Back In 2021
- Many teams lost full-time starters due to COVID-19 opt outs for 2020, including the Bears with defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. Goldman started at least 15 games at nose tackle in each of the three previous seasons for Chicago before sitting out this past year. Fortunately for the Bears, new defensive coordinator Sean Desai said Monday that the team believes they’ll have him back in 2021, per Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com. Due to the league’s opt-out rules, Goldman’s contract, which owes him $4.75MM next year, tolled to 2021 automatically.
Bears To Hire Mike Pettine
The Bears are going with a first-time defensive coordinator for next season but will bring in an experienced staffer to help the cause. Mike Pettine and the Bears agreed to terms on a deal that will make him a senior defensive assistant, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Pettine will stay in the NFC North, doing so as part of Sean Desai‘s staff. The Packers ended Pettine’s three-year stay as their defensive coordinator last month.
An NFL staffer since 2002, Pettine has been either a head coach or DC in 10 seasons. This will mark a step down for the 54-year-old assistant, but he will supply Desai with experience and considerable familiarity with the Bears’ top rival. Against the Bears last season, Pettine’s defense fared well in two blowouts. The Packers have since brought in Joe Barry to oversee their defense.
While Pettine’s Packers finale did not go especially well, his final two Green Bay defenses ranked in the top half in points allowed. DVOA was less kind to Pettine’s units, placing the most recent one 17th. Prior to his Green Bay stay, Pettine spent two seasons as the Browns’ head coach, one as the Bills’ defensive coordinator and four as the Jets’ DC.
Bears Gave Christian, Crawford Bonuses
- Reserve/futures deals are non-guaranteed pacts to keep unheralded players a part of a team’s offseason 90-man roster, so they usually don’t come with any bonuses or guaranteed money. When they do, that makes them a lot more notable, and Field Yates of ESPN.com recently tweeted out this cycle’s biggest. Cornerback Grant Haley got $35.7K from the Saints, safety Marqui Christian and cornerback Xavier Crawford got $35K and $31.3K respectively from the Bears, long snapper Dan Godsil got $27.4K from the Bengals, and tight end Tyree Jackson got $25.2K from the Eagles while punter Arryn Siposs got $25K from Philly. All these guys would seem to have a better than normal chance of cracking next year’s 53. Haley saw a lot of run his first two years in the league with the Giants, and was up and down from New Orleans’ practice squad in 2020. If Cincy is giving a reserve/futures long snapper $25K, you’ve gotta figure they think there’s a good chance he’s their guy next year. Jackson is a notable name since he’s the former University of Buffalo star quarterback who has since transitioned to tight end.
Latest On Eagles, Carson Wentz
Before the Super Bowl, we heard that a Carson Wentz trade could be imminent. However, the Eagles are not close to completing a deal with any of the interested teams at this time, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). 
The Bears and Colts are among the teams eyeing No. 11, but the other clubs involved remain a mystery. It’s believed that the other teams that missed out on new Rams starter Matthew Stafford could entertain Wentz — that list includes the Broncos, Panthers, and 49ers. Of course, the Panthers and Broncos would prefer a deal for Deshaun Watson, if they can work the Texans down to a reasonable ask. One of those two players will likely be the next domino to fall in the QB carousel.
The Colts, who just lost Philip Rivers to retirement, would be a logical fit for Wentz. Wentz, meanwhile, wouldn’t mind reuniting with former mentor Frank Reich.
Publicly, the Eagles have said that they’d like to move forward with Wentz, but the North Dakota State product still wants out. Any team taking him on would also be taking on his sizable contract, which runs through 2024. However, there’s an escape hatch after the 2022 season, which helps somewhat. In any case, the Eagles won’t be able to match the Stafford package of two first-round selections and a third-rounder. Stafford, at this point, has more appeal, and the Lions took on Jared Goff‘s hefty contract in order score all of that draft capital.