Everyone is under the assumption that Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy have one final season to turn things around. What if that isn’t the case?
The Chicago Bears head into the draft after making some moves in free agency. Those moves weren’t exactly met with cheers from the fans, however.
After spending the offseason hearing about the Bears acquiring a big name quarterback like Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson, the fans were pumped. Unfortunately, neither the Houston Texans nor the Seattle Seahawks wanted to part ways with their quarterbacks.
As a result, Bears general manager Ryan Pace decided to sign veteran Andy Dalton. Dalton isn’t a bad player and is an upgrade from Mitchell Trubisky. But after expecting Watson or Wilson, settling for Dalton was like going from a Ferrari to a Pinto. Additionally, Pace and the Bears parted ways with former All-Pro cornerback Kyle Fuller to free up salary cap space. Fuller was popular with the fans so that move angered many of them.
Pace did make other signings. They signed defensive lineman Angelo Blackson, cornerback Desmond Trufant, linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu and running back Damien Williams to name a few. Those signings didn’t calm the fans’ anger, though. They look at the roster and it doesn’t look like one assembled by a man whose job is on the line.
What if the Chicago Bears aren’t at the final chance for Pace and Nagy?
While everyone assumes this is the last shot for Pace and Nagy. What if it isn’t, though? Looking at this roster, do we expect more than eight wins this season? If this indeed a final chance, they’re already gone.
With the moves Pace made, however, this may be a penultimate chance. It is difficult to maneuver with such a cut in the salary cap. In 2021, the NFL cut the salary cap by $16 million compared to 2020 ($182.5 million in 2021 compared to $198.2 million in 2020). The Bears were able to carry about $7.6 million from 2020 so their cap is roughly about $190 million.
Currently, the Bears are about $165,000 under the cap. If you add in the $16 million cut from last season, then add the $10 million that the NFL usually adds in a year, the Bears would have had plenty of space to work with.
Yes, I know — would’ve, could’ve, should’ve. However, the cap restriction might play a part in Pace and Nagy’s job security. The McCaskeys like Pace and Nagy and to think that their final chance is on a season with such restriction would be fair in their minds.
If you see the amount of time the Bears signed their players, most of them are one-year deals or deals containing voidable years. The cap will increase a great deal next season and then explode in 2023 when the network deal the NFL recently signed takes effect.
That gives the front office next year plenty of space to make a splash and sign some of the top players. If Pace finds a good quarterback prospect he could do what he couldn’t do with Trubisky — give the player a redshirt season and have him take over in 2022.
Pace could also draft a cornerback to first help out on the rotations. Trufant is a very good corner but injuries are always a concern with him. If the Bears pick up a good corner in this year’s draft like they hit on Jaylon Johnson, that prospect could take over and look to either re-sign Trufant as a backup or hit free agency. At this point, Trufant can be an effective corner if he is a backup in a rotation than playing the majority of snaps.
Are Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace a package deal for the Chicago Bears?
Let’s look at the contracts of Pace and Nagy. Nagy is signed through 2022. Many feel that Pace is signed through this season. There are reports, however, that the Bears quietly signed him to a one-year extension.
At the Chicago Bears end-of-season press conference, team President/CEO Ted Phillips refused to talk about Pace’s contract (or Nagy’s) when the media pushed him.
Ted Phillips declines to clarify how long Pace's and Nagy's contracts run through. Wow.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) January 13, 2021
I don’t see the Bears firing Pace and having another general manager coming in and firing Nagy. The McCaskeys already had to pay the last two coaches, Marc Trestman and John Fox, with years left on their contracts. They abhor doing that and likely won’t do it for a third straight time.
The McCaskeys like Pace and Nagy and want them to succeed. They’ll probably use 2021 to see if the Bears continue on the right path (George McCaskey feels they are). With Pace’s additions this season and if Nagy’s system works better than it has worked the past three seasons, I could see Pace going on a splurge in 2022 and overhaul the roster.
If that works, Pace and Nagy survive to see another contract. Will that bet work out for the Chicago Bears? We shall see. In the meantime, will the fans be patient until 2022? Again, we shall see.