Promoting from Within, Drafting Is Hard, Everyone Gets an Extension … Besides Allen Robinson, and Other Bears Bits
I’ve been looking for a way to spice up my hot dog. Thankfully, my friend Jim came through with a clutch recipe that inspires me to chow down on some dogs. Might end up saving it for Sunday’s game day.
• The Bears’ front office has taken its share of hits in recent years. But this spotlight profile of Champ Kelly by Dan Pompei is enlightening:
He is the Bears' assistant director of player personnel. But @champkelly1 is so much more. https://t.co/UAOjH9mwZf
— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) September 8, 2020
• Kelly is a star on the rise in NFL front offices. At this point, it’s more of a matter of when and with what team will make Kelly its GM in the near future than “if” it will happen. Kelly interviewed for the Jets GM opening in 2019. And while he didn’t get it, he still is viewed in good standing around the league. Being a hot candidate after the Bears won the NFC North isn’t surprising. But still having that buzz after a season in which the Bears finish 8-8 tells me Kelly is doing something right.
• Earlier in the offseason, the idea of Kelly being in line to take the Bears’ gig off Ryan Pace’s hands if things went sideways crossed my mind. Here’s a snippet of what I wrote:
I want to be clear that I’m not ready to push current Bears GM Ryan Pace out the door right now, if your brain even went there. After all, he is under contract through the 2021 season after signing an extension in January 2018. But I wonder if Chicago’s upper management will get to a point where it has to make a decision between retaining the general manager who built the team as constructed or keeping someone viewed by outsiders as a future front office leader with the trajectory trending in a positive direction.
For what it’s worth, it isn’t unheard of for NFL teams to move on from front office leaders who take a franchise from Point A to Point B, but don’t figure to get them further. A prevalent recent example is Kansas City, which moved on from John Dorsey in order to promote Brett Veach from Co-Director of Player Personnel to GM in 2017. That decision seems to have worked out for the best. And I’m just saying that sort of path isn’t completely out of the question in Chicago.
• Again, I’m not trying to push Pace out the door right now. But if the time comes, I hope Kelly gets real consideration for the job.
• A reminder that drafting is hard and that analyzing it is harder:
WhY WoUlD tHe BeArS dRaFt TrUbIsKy? pic.twitter.com/wFT07jKNFk
— bhuvan (@whuvan) September 8, 2020
• Because drafting (and analyzing said draft) can be hard, I’ll never have an issue with dealing the picks that were necessary to get the Khalil Mack trade done. That’s because Khalil Mack is really good at football:
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1303574617651654658?s=20
• A familiar face to Chicago sports fans will host NBC Sports Chicago’s Bears-centric post-game show:
This just in: David Kaplan @thekapman to host 'Football Aftershow' for NBC Sports Chicago @NBCSChicago: https://t.co/4jvPnUr7A1 pic.twitter.com/oqwW4qyf03
— Robert Feder (@RobertFeder) September 9, 2020
• In the latest episode of everyone is getting extended but Allen Robinson …
Now official: A new highest-paid CB in the NFL. And Jalen Ramsey gets to make his home in LA, as he said he wanted on Hard Knocks. https://t.co/tkXSJnKc28
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2020
— David Mulugheta (@DavidMulugheta) September 9, 2020
• If the Rams – whose cap situation makes the Bears look great by comparison – can find money to make Jalen Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in league history, then Chicago can make *SOMETHING* work for Allen Robinson.
• An old friend finds a new home with a division foe:
Practice squad transaction for the Lions:
In: WR/RB Kerrith Whyte
Out: WR Victor BoldenWhyte was with the Bears and Steelers at points last year. White was cut by Pittsburgh last week.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) September 9, 2020
• An interesting perspective on QB salaries:
2020 Starting QBs
• Median Salary: $25M
• Avg. Salary: $19.5M
• Top AAV: $45M (Mahomes)
• Low AAV: $677k (Minshew)
• Rookie Contracts: 10
• New Starter: 6
CAR/CIN/IND/LAC/NE/TB
• ‘21 Free Agent: 6
– Prescott
– Rivers
– Newton
– Trubisky
– Fitzpatrick
– Taylor— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 9, 2020
• Best wishes to Ryan Shazier as he embarks on his life after retirement from football:
Former Steelers’ LB Ryan Shazier officially announces his retirement from football, via @RyanShazier. pic.twitter.com/UHl2MGCtkA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2020
• Go get him, Bulls:
A big name just hit the coaching market, and the Bulls already come in for a mention. https://t.co/DKyzaWeJpL
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) September 9, 2020
