One of the biggest questions heading into 2017 is how much will the Chicago Bears regret not re-signing Alshon Jeffery? In their defense there were plenty of signs that Jeffery was intent on leaving this past offseason. He wanted to get paid like a top five wide receiver and the team wasn’t willing to meet that price. They had their reasons. Likely a mix of him not earning it and the team not viewing his talent to be on that level. Thus the Alshon Jeffery Bears soap opera began.
While the 26-year old continued to profess he wanted to remain in Chicago, he was fielding offers from several teams. Eventually he settled on a one-year deal for $9.5 million from the Philadelphia Eagles. Clearly he was looking for a contract with heavy guarantees and was willing to take another short-term risk for long-term gain.
Now he’s going to team with Carson Wentz in Philly and people are left wondering whether the Bears made a mistake not offering more for him to stay.
Alshon Jeffery Bears question fielded by NFC North experts
To get a feel on this subject, ESPN posed the question to their columnists who cover other teams in the division. Their answers were the typical style. They took great care to offer anything definitive. At the same time there seemed to be some common ground. Given the Bears are in a rebuild, they had little reason to overpay for Jeffery.
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Packers (Rob Demovsky)
“For a rebuilding team to pay Jeffery top-receiver money probably didn’t make a lot of sense, anyway. GM Ryan Pace should follow Ted Thompson’s plan in Green Bay, where he drafts at receiver for Aaron Rodgers almost every year to make sure the cupboard is never bare.”
Vikings (Ben Goessling)
“Jeffery never quite followed up on his scintillating 2013 season — he had 1,133 yards in 2014, but dealt with injuries and a suspension after that. Still, he was the one Bears receiver that defenses had to account for at all times.”
Lions (Michael Rothstein)
“That said, the Bears don’t have an exciting group of receivers right now — White and Meredith are the most intriguing players — but there’s a chance someone could end up being a surprise. If that doesn’t happen, though, the Bears will miss Jeffery — but they won’t regret letting him go in free agency because of how much the franchise has to do to rebuild.”
The message is fairly clear. If Chicago wanted to win a couple extra games in 2017, paying him might’ve helped. That said the odds of them making the playoffs are long. Giving too much money for a really good #2 receiver wouldn’t have been an advisable move. Better to use the 2018 offseason, specifically the draft to get better weapons in place moving forward. It’s better for the pay structure and will allow Ryan Pace to add target of his choice.
Don’t forget Jeffery was drafted by Phil Emery. Whether people care to admit it or not, that had a significant factor in how everything went down.
