Predicting the Chicago Bears 2019 free agency moves
Moves to clear up cap space
Before the Chicago Bears can hit the open market and try to pick up players, they need to clear up some cap space. According to Spotrac, the Bears have about $10 million in cap space available. They need more in order to strengthen the roster.
There are two ways to free up space — one is to make cuts to save money and the other is to restructure a contract so that money due this season gets paid later down the road, thus freeing up space now.
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These are tough decisions that the Bears need to make. They could be saying goodbye to some popular players. Making these moves may be difficult but necessary to make the team more successful. Here are some moves they could take:
Kyle Long — Let’s start with the toughest decision to be made. Long is a very popular player among the fans. He has a big social media following and is a big presence in the locker room. The problem, however, is that for the past three seasons we’ve seen him more on the sidelines because of injuries than on the field helping the Bears win games.
The popular option for fans leading into the offseason was probably to restructure his current deal. They don’t want to see Long leave. After the first three seasons he had, they want him to always be a Bear. After the past three seasons of struggling with injuries, they’re pulling for him to make it. Lucky for fans, the restructured deal is the way they ultimately went, rather than cutting him.
With that happening, the Bears need to have someone backing him up because he’ll have to be ready when Long goes down again.
Jordan Howard — Here is another tough decision. Howard is another fan favorite. He had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career. While he didn’t get another one in 2018, he played very well in the final five games to get close (935 yards).
Even so, he just doesn’t seem to be a fit in head coach Matt Nagy’s offensive system. He’s better when he gets more touches, but Nagy’s system spreads the ball around more to receivers. He needs a back who can get good yards and one who can catch out of the backfield. The Bears could trade Howard and not only receive valuable draft picks but also receive a $2 million cap space benefit.
Chase Daniel — Daniel is set to make $6 million in 2019. That is the 28th-highest salary for a quarterback, more than some starters. Yes, he is familiar with Nagy’s system but the Bears need to create space so they could compete for a title and in doing so there are some casualties. Daniel will be one of them. Letting him go saves the Bears $3 million.
Khalil Mack — Bringing Mack to the Bears was the boldest and best move made in the NFL in 2019. It cost the team dearly in terms of draft picks and salary. It certainly was worth it, though. Now that the team is among the best, Mack may decide to help the team out now. He could restructure his deal and help save Chicago If he restructures his deal it saves the Bears $8.4 million.
By making these three moves, the Bears’ salary cap space increases to about $27 million. That’s good enough for them to make the signings they need to strengthen the roster. Another move could be restructuring Allen Robinson‘s contract, which saves the Bears almost $4.6 million. Having to restructure so many contracts isn’t recommended, though. However, if the Bears are in “Win now” mode, they might decide to do whatever it takes to get it done.