The Chicago Bears must navigate free agency before they get to the draft. GM Ryan Poles did so much work over the past several months to reach this point. He unloaded every veteran player with a hefty contract that wasn’t nailed down. Khalil Mack, Danny Trevathan, Robert Quinn, and others were all sent packing. It didn’t matter how much dead money the Bears accrued. Poles was focused on the future. He wanted to free up as much cap space as possible so he could reshape the roster how he wanted.
Now he is about to see the fruits of that labor. Chicago has more cap space than any other team by a significant margin. He is free to throw money around almost at well. If the Bears GM has his heart set on a particular player, he can offer practically any contract he wants. That said, some around the league don’t envision that happening. Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic caught up with a player agent, asking if Chicago would be aggressive. The answer he got wasn’t enthusiastic.
While the Bears will have far and away the most cap space, one agent wondered whether or not they’ll be big spenders. He tossed out the scenario in which the “rebuild” takes longer and goes into 2024, as opposed to the Bears going all in when the free-agent class isn’t deep.
Ryan Poles doesn’t have to feel an urgency.
His intention was never to build through free agency. He made that clear from the moment he took over. The Bears will build through the draft. That remains the object. Free agency will be used to plug certain holes. That said, don’t expect any reckless spending. Nothing about this 2023 class suggests the Bears can hit a home run anyway. The lack of star power is evident. Poles is better off making calculated deals with two or three solid veterans and shifting his focus to the draft afterward.
Smart GMs always budget their money, keeping some set aside for later. The Bears can easily spend a lot of money this spring and still have the most going into 2024 as well. By that point, the team should be a more attractive destination presuming their young talent begins to ascend and Justin Fields takes another step forward. It is all about sticking to the plan. Chicago will make moves in free agency. That is certain. Just don’t expect them to go crazy. This regime isn’t interested in a quick fix.
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