NEWSLETTER
Free agency starts early for the Bears … in Canada. And I dig it.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears have looked to the north to make their first addition of the offseason, and in a relative way, it’s a big one:
Calgary CB Tre Roberson, thought to be the top CFL free agent this year, will sign with the Chicago Bears, per a league source. Roberson chose the Bears over nine other offers. Bears are expected to give Roberson the largest CFL-to-NFL compensation since Miami signed Cameron Wake
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2020
The referenced Cameron Wake signing was 12 years ago, and, at the time, was a four-year deal worth nearly $5 million. So, clearly, Roberson is not getting a huge contract, but still – the biggest CFL conversion deal since Wake suggests the interest in Roberson was hot. (Wake, of course, has gone on to earn another $40+ million in his impressive NFL career.)
Roberson, 27, spent his college years split between Indiana University and Illinois State as a quarterback, and, although he wasn’t drafted, he did get picked up for the practice squad by the Minnesota Vikings in 2016-17 after he’d converted to corner. In 2018, he headed to Canada to get a real shot, logging 10 picks (two touchdowns) and 95 tackles in his two seasons there.
Although the Bears have Kyle Fuller locking down one of their starting corner spots, and also have Buster Skrine signed to a pretty airtight deal for 2020 ($6.4 million in dead cap), they could look to move on from Prince Amukamara, who counts $10 million against the cap next year but with only $1 million guaranteed. And there is no such thing is having too much cornerback depth. Not in a division with Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, and Matthew Stafford.
We’ll have to dig in more on Roberson soon, and we’ll update when the full contract details are out.
So blessed to be @ChicagoBears thank you for the opportunity in allowing me to help this organization get to the goal of winning a super bowl. Thank you to my agent for fighting hard for me through this whole process @camRONweiss @DynamicSportGrp#beardown
— Tre Roberson (@tre5_roberson) January 29, 2020
