Everybody is focused on the draft for obvious reasons. When you hold the #1 overall pick, it will dominate the headlines. However, the Chicago Bears also have the most salary cap space of any team in the NFL this spring. That means GM Ryan Poles will be free to spend lots of money to upgrade his roster. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he handed up half a dozen multi-year contracts to players he feels can help this team improve. It comes down to which players will be available when the action starts.
That said, Poles has remained consistent with his message from the moment he took over. He doesn’t want to rely on free agency as a primary means of building the roster. That is how teams get in trouble. His goal is to build through the draft. Free agency won’t be about taking mighty swings. It’ll be about finding good value and seeking players that fit what the Bears want to do. Make sound decisions. Poles spoke to Jeff Joniak about this during an interview for Bears Youtube. One quote stood out.
“You want to be sound because you want to be flexible, not only this year but in the future.”
Ryan Poles wants to keep his options open.
A smart team doesn’t throw all their money away once they get it. They should budget the cap space, saving it for opportunities when they present themselves. The Kansas City Chiefs are among the best at this. Remember, this is a contending franchise every year. Patrick Mahomes is one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. Yet that hasn’t stopped his team from making calculated aggressive moves in free agency. In 2021 they added prominent guard Joe Thuney on a lucrative contract. Last year they struck again on safety Justin Reid. That is because they kept their cap flexible.
This is what Ryan Poles aims to do. He’ll spend this year. That is inevitable. Just don’t expect the Bears to go crazy. They’re going to add some notable pieces, fill out the depth chart, and likely still have tens of millions left over that they can carry into 2024 and beyond. They’ll never need to go all in on free agency if they draft well. They will be free to target players they feel give them a chance to win a championship rather than rescue them from another losing season.
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