NEWSLETTER
The Bears have had so many good players that they can’t retire any more numbers.
Hence, Dan Hampton’s 99 is still in circulation.
Trevis Gipson wears that number now and plays defensive end. And while he isn’t top of mind for extension candidates, perhaps one could be coming his way:
“There is a belief in league circles that The Bears could be prepared to sign Gipson to a big-money contract extension,” reports Heavy.com NFL’s guy Matt Lombardo. “if he bounces back this fall.”
The 25-year-old had just 3 sacks and 4 tackles-for-loss, but was able to register 11 quarterback hits. So it feels as if a bounce-back season would be a requirement if we were going to have serious conversations regarding a second contract in Chicago. Or, perhaps, Gipson could take a serious home-town discount. This isn’t to say I’m prioritizing a Gipson extension. But I’m not closing the door on it if there is a deal to be made that makes sense for both sides. There just isn’t enough of a track-record to justify a “big-money contract” as Lombardo put it.
Maybe a Gipson extension looks like the defensive end equivalent of what Equanimeous St. Brown was given by the Bears to stick around. Or perhaps something in the area of what Rasheem Green (1 yr/$2.5M) got in free agency from Chicago. I could see Dante Fowler’s deal (1 yr/$3M from the Cowboys) or Lorenzo Carter’s contract (2 yrs/$9M from the Falcons) being feasible fits. On the high end? Arden Key’s deal with the Titans (3 yrs/$21M) is something I can see coming down the pipeline. But only if I squint. And only if Gipson has a break-through season. Other than that, I’m just spitballing. Nevertheless, I like talking through this scenario — even if it is just to get some depth and perspective. There is nothing wrong with having this conversation (let alone expanding on it).
Gipson enters the final year of his rookie deal. It is tough to imagine Gipson’s deal being too sizable. But the Bears have cash and a minimum spending threshold to meet before the start of the 2024 league year. And they’ll need to continue to build out depth. Even still, I don’t feel great about what Gipson’s market could be. Good luck trying to project the market for a rotational pass-rusher will be at the start of next offseason.
Again, I wouldn’t make extending Gipson a priority. But if you could bring him back on an Equanimeous St. Brown kind of extension, then why not do it? Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. And it would keep the Bears from having to go in free agency and potentially lose compensatory draft pick formula positioning. Every little bit helps.
