NEWSLETTER
I’m at a loss thinking about what the Chicago Bears are doing right now, and it’s bugging the heck out of me.
When Ryan Pace arrived in 2015, there was a plan. Maybe it wasn’t going to be pretty. But it was a plan.
Pace swallowed hard on some ugly contracts signed by his predecessor, Phil Emery. From there, he tore down a roster that imploded under Marc Trestman. He then rebuilt some respectability under John Fox. And ultimately, he set course on a competitive window with a quarterback on a rookie contract and a top-flight defense. That window opened in 2018 with Matt Nagy’s arrival, and appears to have closed when the Saints eliminated the Bears from the postseason in January.
Between the start of the Nagy era and the Sunday before this free agency period began, Pace was restructuring and backloading contracts with the intent of maximizing a competitive window. He kicked the can down the road and borrowed money from the future to finance the present. And while there are days in which the salary cap sure seems like a myth, the time always comes to pay the piper. That day appears to have come, with the pending release (trade?) of Kyle Fuller and the looming (?) departure of Akiem Hicks.
The only thing more surprising than Thursday’s reports is that Pace is the one in charge of executing these moves. These are the types of moves that come when a new GM cleans up the messes made by the prior regime. That Pace is cleaning up his own mess is unprecedented. And also disturbing. I tip my cap for him creating the window, but that ship has sailed. So why does it seem like ownership is sending him out to sea to reel in something that’s far too gone.
Are the Bears rebuilding?
If so, then why pay a kicker anything above the league minimum? Rebuilding teams don’t pay kickers, much like non-contenders in baseball don’t spend at the top of the market for closers. We learned paying kickers wasn’t this front office’s M.O. when the Bears let Robbie Gould go in 2016. Rather than pay Gould, the Bears chose to pay minimal costs in the kicking game. You can disagree with the move, while also understanding why it was made. And yet, here we are in a present day in which the Bears – possibly a rebuilding team? – prioritizing the returns of long-snappers and punters. That’s not what rebuilding teams do. But it’s what the Bears did when they should’ve been seeking trade partners for players they could ultimately be jettisoning while getting nothing in return. More on that in a moment.
Rebuilding teams trapped with cap problems shouldn’t be signing Andy Dalton. Don’t get me wrong. Much respect to Dalton for what he has accomplished in his career. But even though I understand the desire to have a quarterback in place, paying that much for this particular one, at this juncture makes do a confused head tilt. Paying $10 million for a marginal (at best) upgrade and lost a compensatory draft pick for their troubles is the move of a team wanting to squeeze out a final ounce of hope with a roster seemingly ready to win elsewhere.
Are the Bears trying to contend?
Hey, now. There is another playoff berth just sitting there asking to be claimed by some lucky team. The Bears took advantage of that gift last year because the Cardinals played like they wanted nothing to do with it. So why not go for it? I’m not saying if they should or shouldn’t. But contending teams tend to do things like restructure high-price extensions, borrowing money from the future to inject today’s team with cash (and players).
If the Bears are trying to contend, then why are they positioning themselves for a pivot that involves parting ways with two talented and respected defenders? Especially after paying that quarterback. Dalton said he spoke with teammates upon signing with the team. I wonder how different the conversations are after signing and how they compare to before Thursday night. Does buyer’s remorse exist for someone who is getting paid $10 million? Contending teams that build around ball control and defense don’t turn players like Fuller and Hicks into cast-offs. Not when you’ve seen what this group looks like without Hicks in the lineup. And certainly not when cover corners are worth their weight in gold in an era of pass-happy football.
Words may speak volumes, but actions speak louder than words.
But whatever the Bears are saying with their actions might as well be in a language spoken a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
