2021 Bears Free Agency Misery

Ryan Pace started out his job at Halas Hall with the handicap of John Fox as his coach, hoisted upon him by ownership not yet fully convinced in their young general manager's abilities.

Then Pace went out and drafted Kevin White and two years later traded up to get Mitchell Trubisky with Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson available.

Maybe George McCaskey/Ted Phillips management had the right idea all along—not about Fox but Pace's lack of experience or competence.

It's Pace's seventh year now, so inexperience can't be blamed for what has transpired in this free agency period. It's been a free agency period from hell.

First, the lead up to it involved two failed quarterback hunts, and then they pivoted to a quarterback they could have had last year with a little patience or with a trade like they ended up making to get Nick Foles anyway. They paid $7.5 million more for 33-year-old Andy Dalton this year than the Bills had to pay for Mitchell Trubisky, and over the last four years Dalton has not been as good as Trubisky. This is as clear as a stat sheet. It's not real close.

Pace set himself up for salary cap hell in previous years with numerous backloaded contracts, but this is a common practice throughout the NFL. There are ways out of this if players produce.

The real problem he had was misjudging talent, which can sometimes be an issue in a job where you judge talent for a living.

Again, just like with the two offensive players he chose in the first round of the 2015 and 2017 drafts, he flopped when he signed Robert Quinn and paid everything except Virginia McCaskey's lunch money to do it. If he hadn't paid $7.5 million guaranteed cash for both of last year's sacks by Quinn, then he might not have had to do what he had to do on Thursday when he cut a 29-year-old cornerback who made two straight Pro Bowls.

Kyle Fuller Debacle

Kyle Fuller has had better seasons than 2020, but telling someone they need to take a pay cut and then cutting them after merely an average year can't possibly sit well with key Bears veteran defenders like Khalil Mack and Danny Trevathan.

So far the Bears have been reported to have spoken to two free agents from the outside, tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Kenny Golladay. How does something like this look to outside free agents?

Good luck signing players with garbage like this happening.

So much for that great Chicago Bears culture team CEO Ted Phillips said the franchise had during the season-ending press conference.

The moves the #Bears are making seem like this team headed more towards a rebuild. The moves so far also gives me the impression that Pace and Nagy’s jobs aren’t really on the line in 2021. @GNSportsTV
— Jarrett Payton (@paytonsun) March 19, 2021

Cash Matters

They cut Fuller because, besides paying $7.5 million for each of those two sacks Quinn made last year, Pace has already committed to paying $11.5 million in guaranteed cash against this year's cap for Quinn. They easily could have afforded to keep the best cornerback they've had since Charles Tillman without the mistake made on Quinn.

So count this catastrophe heavily against Pace.

He also kept Jimmy Graham on the roster this year. Graham costs them $7 million in salary and roster bonus, and they would only be eating $3 million in dead cap to cut him. That's an actual savings of $4 million more toward keeping Fuller they could have had. Graham had a very good 2020 season and contributed in numerous ways but he's not making a contribution close to Fuller, who is on the field for every defensive down.

Apparently the player reduction on defense isn't done.

Akiem Hicks has been told he can seek a trade, according to Brad Biggs of the Tribune. In NFL terms, that means you're going to be cut.

Hicks' interior rush is what helped make some of the interceptions and pass coverage the Bears have had possible. His ability to dominate helped Khalil Mack make sacks.

Yet, Pace is doling out $5 million for Germain Ifedi, at least another $1.8 million for a punter and paid reserve Deon Bush, who made $1.4 million last year. These amounts all add up. That's $8.2 million right there for players they could do without in order to keep the heart of their defense.

Trevathan is sometimes called the heart. He's the brains. Hicks is the heart.

There is a reason they say build through the draft and use free agency to fill in.

Pace must rely on free agency and pay through the nose because he couldn't supply the draft picks. And not all his free agents have supplied the talent, obviously.

Add all that money up, the difference between keeping Trubisky or signing Dalton, the money to Quinn last year, the money to Graham this year because he's still around, and the other signings of lesser players, and they easily could have had back Fuller and Hicks.

Hicks doesn't have many years left in the NFL, it's true. While he's still capable they should have been squeezing the last bit of ability from him and letting Fuller chase down receivers again.

Instead, Pace has made this an offseason far worse than any regular season the Bears have suffered through since Marc Trestman was coach.

There are still six weeks before something similar to this happens in the NFL draft.

So there's still time for the McCaskeys to perform a rare off-season GM firing, and simply let Matt Nagy do the drafting.

The #Bears are releasing veteran CB Kyle Fuller, sources say, a cap casualty. In a tough 2021 offseason, this is Chicago’s only cut due to cap space. A former All-Pro corner now hits the market.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2021

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