Chicago Bears News & Rumors

Muhammad Wilkerson, Jets

The Jets have shown very little interest in re-signing Muhammad Wilkerson to a long-term deal and, frankly, their lack of movement on that front is perplexing. Sure, the team already has a star lineman in Sheldon Richardson with another budding talent in Leonard Williams, but Wilkerson is a proven commodity who has delivered for the team ever since his rookie debut in 2011.

“It’s shocking. It’s frustrating,” Wilkerson said of the barely existent contract talks last month. “Because I feel like I’ve earned it and I deserve it. It would be different if I was just a mediocre player. I feel like each and every week I’m dominating and it’s showing. The stats speak for themselves. Basically, what more do I need to do? You know what I mean?”

We know exactly what you mean, Mo. The 26-year-old enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2015, racking up a career-high 12 sacks and forcing three fumbles, to go along with 64 tackles. Arguably the best defensive player for the Jets last season, Wilkerson also earned his first Pro Bowl berth. Still, the Jets seem quite comfortable with letting him ply his craft somewhere else after the 2016 season.

The two sides are reportedly making an effort to talk as the deadline approaches, but an accord still seems like a longshot.

Eric Berry, Chiefs

As the face of the franchise, many viewed a lucrative multi-deal between Berry and the Chiefs to be a foregone conclusion. However, we’re less than 24 hours away from the deadline and there’s no pact in place. 

This offseason, Vikings safety Harrison Smith set a new bar at the position with his five-year, $51.25MM contract, giving him a higher AAV than Jairus Byrd, Devin McCourty, and Earl Thomas. Understandably, Berry wants to top Smith, even though the Vikes standout was rated by Pro Football Focus as the league’s best safety in 2015.

Lately, talks have been moving slowly between the two sides and that’s partially due to KC’s tight cap situation. While a backloaded Berry deal would actually help create some breathing room against the cap limit for 2016, it would simultaneously put the squeeze on for 2017. Of course, the Chiefs have other players and needs to address, including a contract for nose tackle Dontari Poe. If you asked us to wager on Berry signing a long-term deal with KC back in March, we would have bet the house. A deal was thought to be unlikely as of Thursday evening, but the latest word on Friday morning is that talks are active and the two sides are planning to work up until the deadline to get something done.

Trumaine Johnson, Rams

For weeks, we’ve been hearing that a long-term deal between Trumaine Johnson and the Rams is unlikely. On Thursday morning, word leaked out that a deal is still pretty darn unlikely. On Friday morning, we heard more of the same.

This offseason, the Rams had a choice between giving the franchise tag to either Johnson or fellow cornerback Janoris Jenkins. While Johnson was invited to make the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles, Jenkins was allowed to test the open waters and wound up signing a five-year, $62.5MM deal with the Giants. Logically, Johnson’s reps view Jenkins’ deal as a perfect comp and they are not interested in taking a dollar less. While things have gotten chippy for others (see: Miller and the Broncos), talks have remained civil between Johnson and L.A. The cornerback seems content to play out the 2016 season under the $13.952MM tender.

Johnson, 26, had just 20 career starts on his NFL résumé prior to 2015, but he established himself as a reliable starting cornerback last season, picking up 71 tackles, seven interceptions, and 17 passes defended, grading out as the No. 17 CB in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

Justin Tucker, Ravens

Just as one of the seven dwarfs always seems to get forgotten, there hasn’t been much talk nationally about Justin Tucker’s negotiations with the Ravens. The Ravens took the somewhat unusual step of tagging their kicker with the franchise tag this offseason and the two sides have been working on a long-term deal ever since. Earlier this week, Tucker expressed confidence that a deal would get done by the Friday deadline, though he admitted that momentum has stalled: 

“As of right now, there hasn’t been a whole lot happening, but there’s still time. Like I’ve said before, I’m optimistic that something will get done. It’s a matter of when, not if,” Tucker said. “I know there’s a lot of things to juggle from their perspective, so all I can do is just be patient and let the process unfold how it’s going to unfold,” he said. “There’s no sense in complaining about it. I’m definitely in a very fortunate position, and I just hope that I can take this one year and turn it into four or five, or perhaps even more.”

On Thursday, things apparently regressed between the two sides. Tucker is said to be so upset with the tenor of the talks that he’s promising not to re-sign with Baltimore after the 2016 season if no extension is reached by the deadline. Baltimore’s latest proposal to Tucker was not only for less than their past offers, but less than what the Packers are paying fellow kicker Mason Crosby. Baltimore’s latest proposal to Tucker was not only for less than their past offers, but less than what the Packers are paying fellow kicker Mason Crosby.

Tucker, meanwhile, is likely looking to top the contract signed by Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski last year. Gostkowski’s deal four-year, $17.2MM deal gave him significant guarantees up front while reducing the Pats’ present-day cap hit. A similar deal could still be on the way for Tucker, but if they can’t come to terms, he’ll play out 2016 on a one-year, $4.572MM contract. If that’s the case, Tucker could be taking his leg elsewhere.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.