Rumor Mill: Bears Could Be Biggest Spenders, Glennon, Hoyer, Stills, Romo, Siemian, More

Mar 06, 2017

Starting tomorrow at 11am CT, teams may begin contacting and negotiating with the agents for players eligible for free agency. Those deals cannot be executed until 3pm CT on Thursday, March 9, but you can bet we’re going to get a very strong sense of where some free agents are going by this time tomorrow.

Thus, another late night tour around the rumor mill …

Gregg Rosenthal writes at NFL.com about the expected big spenders in free agency, and he’s got the Bears right there at the top. Not only do the Bears have significant cap room with which to work, but they also have a certain sense of urgency to add wins in 2017 (something we discussed this morning in the context of John Fox’s potentially warm seat, as contrasted with Ryan Pace’s rebuilding plan).

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Like the Giants last year, Rosenthal believes the Bears could aim to add significantly in free agency with the goal of boosting their win total significantly within the span of a single offseason. Those Giants added five wins, to go from 6-10 to 11-5 and the playoffs. Of course, five more wins for the Bears would still put them only at .500, and Rosenthal also points out that the Giants’ big additions in free agency last year all would have been among the best free agency in a weaker class this year. That kind of spree is probably not realistic. Still, if the Bears can add a top cornerback (they’ve been tied to Stephon Gilmore, who is reportedly looking to be paid at the top of the market), bring back Alshon Jeffery, add a quality safety and/or linebacker, and a quality tackle like Ricky Wagner? Then the pieces could be there for a big turnaround. You know … if the quarterback spot gets sorted out in a meaningful way.

Speaking of which, in a video companion with the post, Peter Schrager opines that Mike Glennon will be the first big domino to fall in free agency, and, as many others have speculated/rumor-mongered, Schrager believes Glennon will be going to the Bears. Is everyone hearing the same thing from multiple connected sources? Hearing the same thing from the same (interested) source? Or did it simply get out that the Bears have interest, and lots of pundits decided they made sense on paper?

The door isn’t closed on Brian Hoyer, though:

Bears have expressed to Brian Hoyer than they want him back. Will be plenty of other interest. Bears in Glennon market too

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 6, 2017

It’s possible, as has been rumored, Hoyer is merely viewed as a Plan C or D bridge starting option, but, if you’re the Bears, you probably wouldn’t hate being able to bring him back even as a back-up, even after signing someone like Glennon. Given the QB market, though, it’s still conceivable that Hoyer is going to be able to find a starting gig with a team looking to draft and develop a young quarterback. (Perhaps that team will be the Bears, in the end, given Hoyer’s familiarity and lower price tag than Glennon.)

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Earlier we talked about Alshon Jeffery’s reported price tag, and although he’d be far from a Jeffery replacement, the Bears are being connected to a different free agent wide receiver:

Potential suitors for WR Andre Holmes, I'm told: 49ers, Redskins, Lions, Jets, Bears, Raiders

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 6, 2017

Holmes, 28, was a solid contributor for the Raiders in 2014, but has become more of a special teams regular and periodic wide receiver.

Adam Jahns offers a more Jeffery-like wideout who interests the Bears: Kenny Stills. His sources say the 24-year-old is high on the Bears’ list, even as they may still seek to reunite with Jeffery. Stills caught 42 passes for 726 yards and 9 touchdowns in arguably the best season of his young career. Given the youth, upside, and available dollars around the league, he may wind up commanding a deal in the same range as Jeffery, when all is said and done.

Elsewhere, it sounds like Torrey Smith (still only 28) will also join the wide receiver free agent mix.

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Tony Romo’s reported preference is to go to the Broncos, who could then possibly make Trevor Siemian available in trade, which would certainly be interesting. The 24-year-old pleasant surprise started 14 games for the Broncos in 2016, throwing for over 3,400 yards, 18 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and posting an 84.6 quarterback rating. He wasn’t a star by any stretch, but he was certainly adequate. Rumors about interested teams have already started.

A couple lists to check out with free agency arriving: Pro Football Rumors put together a top free agent list for each of the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. I am especially pleased to see how deep the cornerback market is (and in the draft, too), which is an area the Bears need to attack aggressively this offseason. Improve there, add a quality safety, and the Bears could very quickly and realistically have a top ten defense in 2017.

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written by

Luis C. Medina

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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