Bears Eyeing D.J. Swearinger
The Bears are reportedly “making a push” to sign free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore this week, but he won’t be the only player Chicago targets as it seeks to remake its secondary. The Bears are also interested in Cardinals safety D.J. Swearinger, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
[RELATED: Bears Interested In Cordarrelle Patterson]
Although Chicago is presently fielding one of the league’s worst secondaries, the club does have one bright spot at safety in the form of Adrian Amos, who has shined during his first two years in the NFL. Pairing Amos with Swearinger, then, would lend instant credibility to the Bears’ back end, and allow them to further pursue cornerback upgrades through the draft or in free agency.
The Bears have often been linked to Ohio State’s Malik Hooker and LSU’s Jamal Adams in mock drafts, but adding Swearinger would give Chicago the flexibility to target other needs with the third overall pick. Plus, Swearinger figures to be relatively affordable, especially when compared with his Cardinals teammate Tony Jefferson, as Biggs notes.
Swearinger, a former second-round pick who bounced around before finding a home in Arizona, started 12 games in 2016 and posted 64 tackles, three interceptions, eight passes defensed, and two sacks. Among free agent safeties, Swearinger ranks seventh in PFR’s estimation, just behind Micah Hyde and ahead of Jahleel Addae.
Bears Pushing To Sign Stephon Gilmore
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore drew a connection to the Bears last week, and now that the legal tampering period has begun, the club is making a “big push” to sign him, reports Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link).
The Bears have a crying need at corner, so adding the accomplished Gilmore would go a long way toward fixing their issues. The five-year veteran possesses an impressive NFL resume, having racked up 68 appearances, 66 starts and 14 picks with the Bills since going in the first round of the 2012 draft. The 26-year-old Gilmore started in each of his appearances (15) for the third straight season and notched a career-high five interceptions in 2016. However, after ranking as one of Pro Football Focus’ 10 best corners in 2015, he dropped to 61st (among 112 qualifiers) last season.
Despite an arguably disappointing 2016, Gilmore undoubtedly stands as one of the best players set to the market. PFR’s Zach Links ranks Gilmore 10th overall in this year’s class, and he’s somewhere in the top three corners with the Texans’ A.J. Bouye and the Patriots’ Logan Ryan. As is the case with Gilmore, the Bears have interest in Bouye. Clearly, then, they’re going big-game hunting in the secondary.
Latest On Market For A.J. Bouye
We figured that cornerback A.J. Bouye would be one of the most sought-after free agents, and that sentiment has certainly been confirmed today. ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco reports (via Twitter) that the Jaguars, Bears, Buccaneers, and Titans have been linked to the defensive back.
The Jets and Eagles were among the teams previously mentioned as potential landing spots, and the Texans are also reportedly interested in re-signing him. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle clarifies (via Twitter) that the Eagles will indeed have interest in Bouye, but they’re not expected to “emerge as a serious player” for his services. Wilson also adds the 49ers, Browns, and Colts as teams that are expected to be “extremely competitive” when it comes to signing Bouye. Considering that long list of suitors, Wilson says there’s a good chance Bouye sticks around the AFC South.
Meanwhile, Wilson tweets that all of the offers for Bouye have averaged at least $12MM annually.
The 2013 undrafted free agent played sparingly during his rookie season, but he established himself as one of the team’s most reliable corners over the past three seasons. Bouye arguably had his best season in 2016, compiling 63 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
Among the teams listed above, Bouye would seemingly be able to slide into every starting lineup. Brice McCain (Titans), Aaron Colvin (Jaguars), Brent Grimes (Buccaneers) are among the defensive backs who could be pushed out of the lineup if their respective teams sign Bouye.
PFR listed Bouye above Logan Ryan as the best available free agent cornerback. Meanwhile, our own Zach Links anticipates that the 25-year-old will be the highest-earning free agent this offseason.
Bears Interested In Cordarrelle Patterson
The Bears are expected to make a push for wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, according to Alex Marvez of The Sporting News (on Twitter). 
Patterson is an excellent kick returner, but he has yet to do much as a receiver in the NFL. This past season, he set a new career high with 52 receptions, but he averaged just 8.7 yards per catch. The Bears might see Patterson as a late bloomer and they could find a gem in the former Viking if they can get him to clean up his route running.
Patterson, 26 later this month, has been breaking the hearts of fantasy owners for years. Last season, however, he earned a second career All-Pro nod by averaging 31.7 yards per kick return. For his career, he has averaged 30+ yards per kick return attempt (it’s a lot higher if you subtract his 2014 showing) and has five TDs off of returns over the last four years.
He can get a nice paycheck as a return specialist, but he’ll get far more if some team out there believes he can grow into a legitimate offensive weapon. In theory, a player like Patterson could help lessen the blow for the Bears if they lose Alshon Jeffery to free agency.
Bears To Make Major Push For Mike Glennon
The Bears are expected to make a major push for free agent quarterback Mike Glennon when the legal tampering period opens on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The interest is mutual, apparently, as Chicago is his preferred destination. 
We currently have Glennon ranked as the top quarterback on this year’s market and our Top 50 Free Agents list (to be updated later on today) has the Bucs QB ranked 19th based on earning power. The 49ers have Glennon on their radar, but it doesn’t sound like they’re pursuing him quite as hard as the Bears right now. The Jets have also been linked to Glennon, but a report on Monday said word of their interest has been exaggerated. The buzz now is that Glennon’s next deal could see him make $14-$15MM annually, a price that’s probably too high for the Jets or incumbent Bucs to match.
For now, Glennon stands as the king of the QBs, but we could see guys like Tyrod Taylor, Tony Romo, and Jay Cutler added to the free agent mix in the coming days. Some teams may prefer one of those three vets over Glennon or, at minimum, prefer them from a value perspective. After the Brock Osweiler deal backfired on the Texans, teams may be cautious about committing major money to Glennon.
Bears Want To Re-SIgn Brian Hoyer
- The Bears were expected to meet with Brian Hoyer‘s agent last weekend, and the club reportedly expressed its desire to re-sign the veteran quarterback, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Chicago is expected to pursue other signal-callers this offseason, but Hoyer could serve as something of a bridge option if the Bears roll with a young passer. Hoyer will have plenty of other suitors, however, per La Canfora.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/6/17
Here are today’s ERFA decisions as teams make their final preparations for free agency.
- David Irving emerged as a viable pass-rusher for the Cowboys down the stretch last season, and the team will understandably extend an ERFA tender offer to the defensive end, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. He will make $615K in 2017.
- Two Panthers wide receivers, though, won’t be tendered and will thus become free agents. RFAs Philly Brown and Brenton Bersin will become UFAs, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reports. Brown started 22 games for the Panthers and had a key role in Super Bowl 50. In three seasons, Brown caught 79 passes for 1,019 yards and seven touchdowns. Bersin also spent the past three seasons on Carolina’s roster but wasn’t utilized nearly as much.
- The Bears have re-signed ERFA tight end Daniel Brown to a one-year deal, the team announced. The team also tendered ERFAs Josh Bellamy, a wide receiver/special-teamer, and Bryce Callahan, a cornerback.
- The Saints plan to submit a tender to retain wide receiver Willie Snead, Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune writes. However, his camp is hoping New Orleans will pay him more than the one-year minimum salary. The 24-year-old Snead is an ERFA despite arriving in New Orleans in 2014. However, the standout target only has two accrued seasons since he spent his rookie year on the practice squad. In those, he’s combined for more than 1,800 yards and scored seven touchdowns.
- The Vikings have agreed to tender offensive lineman Zac Kerin at the one-year, $615K level, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes.
Six Teams Interested In WR Andre Holmes
The 49ers, Redskins, Lions, Jets, Bears, and Raiders are all potential landing spots for pending free agent wide receiver Andre Holmes, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: PFR’s Top 50 2017 Free Agents]
Holmes, 28, has spent the past four seasons in Oakland after beginning his career with the Cowboys. The former undrafted free agent was a large part of the Raiders’ offense as recently as two years ago, as he posted 47 receptions for nearly 700 yards and four touchdowns during the 2014 campaign. In 2016, however, Holmes managed only 14 catches, but was a key cog on special teams, where he played over 65% of Oakland’s snaps.
Due to his lackluster offensive production, Holmes didn’t earn a spot among PFR’s free agent wide receiver rankings, but clearly clubs have already expressed interest in acquiring the 6’5″ pass-catcher. Holmes earned $2MM in 2016 on a one-year deal with Oakland, which was agreed to after other teams pushed to sign him.
Bears Have Stephon Gilmore On Radar
Gilmore is seeking a deal north of Janoris Jenkins‘ five-year, $62.5MM contract that came with $29MM guaranteed. Gilmore comes in at No. 14 on PFR’s top 50 free agents list, behind other corners A.J. Bouye and Logan Ryan, whom La Canfora also expects to do very well on the market. The Bears are planning to aggressively pursue cornerback help, per La Canfora, who connects them to Gilmore. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs made the same connection last week.
Latest On QB Market
There are a lot of moving pieces in this year’s quarterback market, and the Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo, despite recent reports suggesting he would not be traded, remains the forefront of the discussion. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, New England is willing to deal Garoppolo, but the team has not yet received an offer approaching its asking price for Tom Brady‘s top backup. Howe writes that the current asking price is believed to be a first- and second-round draft pick, but the Patriots will not simply flip Garoppolo to the highest bidder. If the team is not “properly compensated,” they will not make a deal.
Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the Bills are not expected to retain Tyrod Taylor under his current contract (we heard several days ago that Buffalo was leaning against keeping Taylor, though there is a split among the club’s top decision-makers in that regard). Assuming Taylor does hit the open market, La Canfora expects the Browns to emerge as the front-runner for his services. Indeed, Taylor has strong ties to some members of the Browns staff already, and if Cleveland is able to acquire him, the club could use its two first-round selections on the best player available and would not have to reach for a quarterback or deal one (or both) picks for Garoppolo.
La Canfora also reports that the Bears have the strongest interest in Mike Glennon at the moment, and sources around the league believe Chicago will push hard to acquire him. The Bears also love Garoppolo, but they do not want to meet the Patriots’ asking price (all of that is consistent with reports that our Sam Robinson passed along last night). La Canfora projects Glennon, who turned down an $8MM/year offer from Tampa Bay, to receive an incentive-laden contract with an AAV of around $12MM.
Interestingly, Glennon has no official agent at this point, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. That’s significant because when the “legal tampering” period opens on Tuesday, teams can negotiate with agents representing free agents, but not with the free agents directly. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that teams with interest in Glennon are working under the assumption that David Dunn is his agent.