In a normal offseason, is it possible the Chicago Bears might’ve made at least one more move for their roster? One of at least mid tier quality to put the finishing touches on their push to reach the playoffs? Perhaps. GM Ryan Pace is known for staying aggressive, even when money is limited. With so many quality veterans still available, some of whom are at positions of need for the Bears, one would think he’d be all over them.
So why the ongoing silence? There are a number of possible explanations. Two of the most popular are that some of those big names are simply demanding too high of a price. The other is the concerns over not being able to medically evaluate these players as a number of them have injury conditions from last season.
Former GM Michael Lombardi though believes there is a more practical explanation for their silence.
“The only sure thing about the future for the NFL is that there will be a decline in the salary cap next year. Those I talk with daily are optimistic that the NFL will indeed play games this season, but the lasting impact of COVID-19 means that getting back to work and that work looking the same as it did in the past are two different things.
The new reality we must face as we head into this season is that if we want football this year, fans will be limited. Until we make significant gains in prevention, vaccines and cures, there will likely be no fans in the stands, and that means that substantial revenue streams will be absent from the accounting process this season, which will impact future years.”
Chicago Bears could have some tough financial decisions ahead
This is a subject that was touched on recently. It appears concern over it is only growing. While the NFL is optimistic games will be played on time in 2020, the odds of them being able to fill stadiums with fans aren’t looking good. Some states may allow that to happen, but the league won’t allow it because it would provide teams in those states with a competitive advantage. Until all teams are allowed, none will be.
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It’s a tough pill to swallow and will force the Bears into some hard financial decisions in 2021. They’re projected to have around $24 million in cap space at the start of next offseason. That could drop by half based on current projections. Considering 28 players on their roster will become unrestricted free agents next year, this is not an ideal development. It could force them to make some tough sacrifices, perhaps cutting or trading one or two established veterans.
This is something to watch as the rest of the year unfolds.