Analyzing Chicago Bears free agents, the players coming and going, is more fun than every this year. As Brad Daugherty famously told me: “the NFL slaughters everything.” Which is why Chicago Bears free agents emerged as the top storyline right now; above even March Madness. Or the Bulls or hockey.
On another level, trade rumors and thinking ahead is more interesting than what actually goes on during the field of play anyway. At least to me, and verified by the page views. The public at large is most consumed with “who’s next.” That’s why it’s “news,” only when it’s new.
Chicago Bears free agents QBs
QB Josh McCown: He wants to stay, he’s very comfortable here and he likes it. McCown will still test the waters and try to get paid as much as he can. Like Seahawks DE Michael Bennett said, “no hometown discount. This is not Wal-Mart, this is not CostCo.” Of course, he used the Bears for leverage to get a better deal in Seattle. Maybe McCown will use other teams to drive up his value and get a better deal to stay here in Chicago.
What about his replacement? Well, this QB free agent class is BROKE! BROKE! That’s exactly why Jay Cutler will be the highest paid player in football in 2014. The Bears won’t touch Josh Freeman (understandable) and Mike Vick (also very understandable) That means you’re left with Colt McCoy, Brady Quinn (who just got married yesterday to gymnast Alicia Sacramone) and Derek Anderson
Chicago Bears free agents Safeties
Jairus Byrd- top rated free agent safety, and one of the top three players overall, can the Bears afford to take him away from the Buffalo Bills. The bidding war for this unrestricted free agent could end up in the $9-10,000,000 per season range. Do the Bears have the cap room for that? Only if they do a whole lot of salary-shedding.
T.J. Ward and Donte Whitner: The Niners’ Whitner has now agreed to terms with Cleveland, which means Ward will probably walk away from the Browns as a domino effect. Both of these guys are probably on the Bears radar, with Ward the more likely target, and then of course signee. This was the biggest position of need for the Bears, as Chris Conte and Major Wright were not very good at football last year. Conte especially took a lot of heat for being pretty awful at this job. I think a lot of Bears fans will be extremely disillusioned if the Bears head into the camp with no major upgrades/overhaul at he safety position.
Malcolm Jenkins and Mike Mitchell: Two AFC South players that would be priced just right, and provide depth. And hopefully provide a chance for the Bears to finally jettison Craig Steltz; who really doesn’t even belong in the league,
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also a frequent analyst on multiple news talk radio stations. The former NBC Chicago and Washington Times contributor has also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows The Sports Bank on Twitter (@paulmbanks) you should too