It has been a wild offseason for the Chicago Bears, given how it started following the team’s playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints in January. Both general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy were given one more season to improve on back to back .500 season and focused all their attention on the quarterback position and the offense. The Bears resolved their quarterback issue with both free agent Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields, but due to external circumstances, couldn’t make additional moves to improve their roster, despite trying to.
Top 10 teams estimated to be over the salary cap in 2021
($s amount OTC so bigger is worse)1. Saints- $82.8M
2. Eagles- $72.6M
3. Falcons- $37.5M
4. Steelers- $28.3M
5. Rams- $23.9M
6. Chiefs- $22.1M
7. Texans- $14.6M
8. Vikings- $14.1M
9. Raiders- $13.3M
10. Bears- $7.7M— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) October 11, 2020
The Financial Impact Of COVID-19 Affected The Bears More Than Other Teams
One of the most memorable aspects of the 2020 NFL season will be that most teams were either had limited or no attendance throughout the entire season. Due to that and other issues related to COVID, it led to the league setting a low cap for the teams, which drastically affected the Bears. The salary cap for 2021 was set at 182 million, with the Bears being seven million dollars over the cap at the start of free agency.
With Chicago being over the cap, it severely limited what they could do in free agency and potential trades. Pace and Nagy initially targeted any veteran quarterback that were available, including Deshaun Watson, Sam Darnold, Derek Carr, and Carson Wentz. The team was also unable to go all-in on signing other offensive free agents, including Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Williams and Pro Bowl receiver Kenny Golladay.
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The #Bears have been making an aggressive pitch to sign Kenny Golladay, and the belief is they have offered 1-year deal in the $11M-$12M range, per @BradBiggs. The plan would be to pair Golladay with Allen Robinson and give Chicago one of the best receiver duos in the NFL.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) March 19, 2021
Although the Bears signed Dalton as their short-term solution at the quarterback position, it came with an even higher cost as the team had to release Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller to allow for the free-agent quarterback signing. Other potential signings would have led to additional moves that would have hurt the Bears’ defense as Pace allowed defensive end Akiem Hicks to seek a potential trade. Even after the draft, Chicago needed to release offensive tackle Charles Leno Jr. to free up salary-cap space to sign their drafted rookies.
In the last 48 hours the Bears:
– Gave Andy Dalton $10M
– Released All Pro CB Kyle Fuller
– Allowed Akiem Hicks to seek a trade pic.twitter.com/VT43fY0Iuo
— Bears Film Room (@BearsFilmRoom) March 19, 2021
Bears would Be Aggressive In Potentially Trading For Julio Jones If they Could
With All-Pro receiver Julio Jones becoming available via trade this week, it is extremely unfortunate that the Bears do not have the salary-cap space to trade for Jones. The potential trades and signings Pace tried to execute earlier this offseason demonstrate how the front office tried to improve Chicago’s offense as much as possible, heading into a make or break season. With Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney projected as the Bears’ wide receivers heading into the 2021 season, the goal has been to bring on another top-tier receiver.
Before anyone asks, the #Bears cannot afford to trade for Julio Jones.
They have neither the salary cap nor the draft capital needed to make a trade for him.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) May 24, 2021
Whether the team signed Golladay or traded for Jones, pairing either Pro Bowl receiver with Robinson and Mooney would give the Bears the best receiver group in the NFL. Having rookie Fields providing a talented receiving group to work with would be the best situation a rookie quarterback could ever have. Even having Dalton throwing to a trio featuring Robinson, Monney, and Jones would still give the Bears potentially one of the most explosive offenses in the league.
Adam Schefter just said on NFL Live that he doesn't "think the Falcons will wind up getting a first-round draft pick in 2022 for Julio (Jones)."
Dan Orlovsky mentioned a second-round pick.
Man, if the #Bears weren't in salary cap hell, that would be really enticing.
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) May 24, 2021
Earlier this week, the league and NFL players association agreed to set the 2022 salary cap at 208 million, which was 26 million higher than this year’s cap. That difference shows how much COVID played a role in what the Bears could do this offseason, whether it was seeking a trade for a quarterback or signing an impactful free agent. Had the Bears had the salary cap space they are projected to have in 2022 that they were given in 2021, it is intriguing to see what other improvements Pace would have made to improve the roster and if they still target Fields in the draft.
Per source, the NFL and the NFLPA have agreed to a salary cap ceiling of $208.2 million for the 2022 season. If it gets there, that would be a 14 percent increase over the 2021 cap of $182.5 million. (more)
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) May 26, 2021
Pace deserves high credit for being able to make the most to improve the Bears’ roster with the significant cap constraints during this offseason. Unfortunately, Chicago’s general manager was the most aggressive during the one year in which the team was limited the most by the league salary cap. With everything returning to normal for the 2021 season and the salary cap going back to normal in 2022, fans should hope that Pace remains aggressive during next year’s offseason.
