The Chicago Bears chose not to franchise tag Alshon Jeffery for a second time. GM Ryan Pace knows the decision was a difficult one but stated that sometimes a player has to test his value before reaching a decision. His words were quite logical, stating that it’s much easier to overcome not signing a player than it was signing him at the wrong price.
Put simply Jeffery is going to be a free agent. What nobody knows for sure is whether the Bears still have a chance to keep him. The franchise does have a history of being able to do that. They did it with Olin Kreutz and Lance Briggs. It’s all about determining what other teams will offer and seeing if Chicago can match it.
What nobody has bothered to ask is whether this sequence of events has really been about money. Recent comments by the receiver himself would seem to indicate the desire runs a bit deeper than that.
