The Chicago Bears have a lot of work to do in regards to the 2021 offseason. It obviously starts with finding a quarterback. Rumors are they’re hot on the trail of landing Carson Wentz from Philadelphia. Nothing is set in stone yet. Other names continue to float around as well. Yet it won’t end with just the QB. GM Ryan Pace has other roster problems to tackle. How he approaches them will be determined by the resources available.
This is why all eyes will be on the 2021 salary cap. With the financial windfall of the pandemic hitting the revenue streams hard, expectations were the NFL would be forced to lower the cap for the first time in years. The league and players association entered negotiations and set a floor for how far it would fall at $175 million. It would prevent too much upheaval, but also put a ton of teams in the red. Including the Bears.
Adam Schefter finally shed light on this subject.
It seems the cap will end up being higher than expected. Current projections have it landing somewhere around $180-181 million. That is a good thing. However, it’s not as high as some initially hoped. Even with the extra boost, the Bears are still going to be around $8-9 million over the cap. This means some tough financial decisions are coming. Especially if they do end up trading for Wentz or another pricey veteran.
A few teams of note with the updated salary cap space:
•JAX: $77.5M
•IND: $69.2M
•NYJ: $68.0M
•NE: $63.0M
•DEN: $19.5M
•DAL: $18.4M
•TB: $15.7M
•CHI: ($8.8M)
•HOU: ($13.4M)
•KC: ($21.8M)
•GB: ($28.2M)
•PIT ($30.6M)
•ATL: ($37.6M)
•PHI: ($49.0M)
•NO: ($74.6M) https://t.co/WkcCGyUVS8— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) February 7, 2021
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That being said, it’s not all bad for the Bears. One thing about a lowered cap is it has an impact on certain aspects of the business. Particularly franchise tags. With Allen Robinson set to become a free agent, there was a growing possibility the Bears would have to tag him in order to keep him in place for another season. Initial projections had the tag number between $18-20 million. With the new update, it’s expected to drop to $15.8 million.
On a $180.5M cap the franchise tag numbers should be
QB- $24.828M
WR- $15.808M
CB- $14.895M
LB- $14.630M
DE- $14.530M
DT- $13.736M
OL- $13.602M
S- $10.496M
TE- $8.496M
RB- $8.074M
P/K- $4.433M— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) February 7, 2021
Chicago Bears can pull off their goals if they’re creative
It will require an adjustment of priorities though. Keeping Robinson is vital regardless of which quarterback the Bears ultimately land. He’s their best offensive player. Yet the allocation of resources can’t stop there. They also need to beef up the offensive line as well. The problem is they don’t have a lot of money to spend. So they need to find a way to get it. This may require some difficult sacrifices.
Sacrifices as in veteran players being either cut or traded in order to procure cap space. There are several possibilities that can and will be considered.
- Kyle Fuller – $11 million
- Akiem Hicks – $10.5 million
- Charles Leno Jr. – $9 million
- Bobby Massie – $8 million
- Jimmy Graham – $7 million
- Buster Skrine – $4.93 million
- Nick Foles – $4 million
This isn’t including the remote possibility they could put Khalil Mack up for grabs too. Obviously, Pace will want to make as few changes to the formula as possible. The goal is to improve the offense without gutting the defense. It’ll just take some deft maneuvering.
Everything could hinge on how they juggle the salary cap.
Expectations are clarity will come at quarterback sooner than later. The Chicago Bears have designs on adding a noteworthy veteran. After that, things will start coming into focus. Taking care of Robinson is next on the agenda, followed by sorting out the necessary money moves to fit both men under the cap.