Manage free agency expectations
Your best guess: Which position do the Bears strike gold in free agency? — Bobby D.
Ryan Poles was pretty active in free agency last year, spending big to overhaul the middle of the defense with linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and
T.J. Edwards. The Bears also added defensive end DeMarcus Walker, right guard Nate Davis, nose tackle Andrew Billings and running back D’Onta Foreman in the spring and then broke out the checkbook after training camp started to sign defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
The Bears rank eighth in the league in effective salary-cap space, according to overthecap.com, and they can create another $21.5 million in room if they part with free safety Eddie Jackson and center Cody Whitehair. So once again cap space won’t be an obstacle.
I would probably temper expectations for free agency, though. Just reading the tea leaves, I don’t think the Bears will be quite as active this offseason. Remember, the goal is to build a young roster via the draft and supplement it with free agents. Chances are decent the biggest contract they write this year will go to cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and if you’re a regular reader of the mailbag, you know I always say the best money spent in free agency is often to prevent your own players from leaving.
I’d also be cautious expecting the team to “strike gold” in free agency. Remember, in many cases, players are available for a reason. That being said, three positions I would keep an eye on are center, defensive end and tight end.
It’s not a great draft class for edge rushers, and the Bears might explore some options on the open market. There are some talented centers in the draft, but the Bears currently don’t own a secondround pick, which might be the sweet spot to get a good one. Maybe Poles could get a secondrounder back if he trades quarterback Justin Fields. Some I’ve spoken to believe the return for Fields might be a third-rounder. Who knows right now?
The Bears have no depth behind Cole Kmet at tight end, so they’ll look at options. I’d also look at safeties if they decide to move on from Jackson. Some talented wide receivers will be available in free agency, but why not draft one in a strong year at that position?
Just because the Bears have plenty of cap space available doesn’t mean it needs to be like a $20 bill in the pocket of a teenager dying to spend it. Poles needs to plan for the future, and you have to look at some younger players who could warrant a new deal. Left guard Teven Jenkins comes to mind. He has one year remaining on his rookie contract, and a strong offseason and good start to the season could put him in position to be a priority for the front office — though he needs to prove he can stay on the field.
Nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon and strong safety Jaquan Brisker will be eligible for new contracts after the 2024 season. Ditto left tackle Braxton Jones if he holds down that position and plays well. At some point you would imagine the Bears will look at wide receiver DJ Moore. He’s set to earn $16.05 million in each of the next two seasons. There’s no rush to talk about a new deal, but if he has another big season, he’d probably be worthy of an extension.
You also can’t rule out a move at running back, but a little more than a month away from the start of free agency, I don’t know that we’ll see the Bears handing out a slew of large contracts.
What would happen if the Bears used the first pick in the draft on Caleb Williams and he refused to sign with them? — George L., Darien
That would create one giant mess. Let me preface by saying I highly doubt Williams would refuse to sign with the Bears, and to my knowledge they’ve received no indication that’s a possibility. The doomsday idea it could occur, though, sure has sparked an awful lot of conversation.
According to the collective bargaining agreement, if a drafted player has not signed a contract by 30 days before the regular-season opener, the team cannot trade his negotiating rights — or trade the player if he signs after that date — in that year. In other words, the Bears couldn’t reach a deal with Williams after the deadline as part of an agreement to flip him to another team.
The Bears would retain negotiating rights with Williams until the first day of the 2025 draft. If he didn’t sign with them by then, he would be eligible to be drafted by the other 31 teams but not by the Bears. There is no compensatory pick in this situation either. So if the Bears drafted Williams and he decided to sit out a year to re-enter the draft, they wouldn’t get an extra pick in 2025 for failing to sign him.
Again, I can’t stress enough that there’s no reputable information that Williams would attempt to steer away from Halas Hall. He probably would need to hire an agent to handle that kind of delicate business, and it’s believed Williams will go without representation. I find it highly implausible he would sit out an entire season and delay starting the clock on a rookie contract with the goal of getting to a highly lucrative second contract.