The Bears 2025 Free Agency Thread

[BearsWillWin]

Well, its not really theory when you saw the playoff games. There is an answer for most of it. When KC was shown with a guard and center with nobody to block and Mahomes on his back, they change to more of a zone blocking scheme, right? You are responsible for this area, whoever enters it Its still a scheme thing. Lining up the tight end(s) close to the line where its clear a linebacker is covering them, he needs to be aware enough if that guy comes, that is where I am throwing the ball. Otherwise, its the QB or RB with a clear path for a positive gain since nobody was there to block, that meant nobody was there to tackle. Positive plays change play calls on defense. Quick throws frustrate the d line who cannot get home.

The play that mostly comes to mind was late in the season when DJ was shadowing CAlebs roll to the sidelines when there was plenty of time to throw the ball for a 5 yard gain but DJ got slammed for giving up and running out of bounds. Gotta throw that ball where DJ has a chance to make a move upfield for YAK. That is the part that Caleb can fix. Otherwise, its going to be a long season full of sacks because a QB cannot be sacked if he does not have the ball in his hand.

Jiddy's point was that talent is what wins.

Yes you need a good scheme. You need good coaching. You need a plan. You need to be able to execute that plan.

But at the end of the day the teams that win do so because they have talent.

 

[wood20ks]

Trey Smith got franchise tagged.

Rumor is KC will tag Smith.

That puts this story to rest then:

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/bears-trey-smith-chiefs-nfl-free-agency

By that story KC has only 3 mill under the cap to spend....thats not much.....but these teams seem to be able to cut fat in places and restructure deals to keep someone.

Not sure if its 3 or 5 mill according to NFL Salary Cap Space | Over The Cap

But as bad as that oline looked vs Phi,they need to keep him......
But if that means giving up two firsts for him,then no way....

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

That puts this story to rest then:

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/bears-trey-smith-chiefs-nfl-free-agency

By that story KC has only 3 mill under the cap to spend....thats not much.....but these teams seem to be able to cut fat in places and restructure deals to keep someone.

Not sure if its 3 or 5 mill according to NFL Salary Cap Space | Over The Cap

But as bad as that oline looked vs Phi,they need to keep him......
But if that means giving up two firsts for him,then no way....

I really hope and trust that Poles is dead set against trading picks for veteran help. At least not the four picks from our first 3 rounds. Of course trading our back end picks for any vet help won't get us much more than back up help. What I do like is from the last line of the article you linked:

There is plenty of interior talent on the draft board as well as in free agency, but Smith is the league's unquestioned prize this offseason.

No doubt the IOL potential from both free agency and the draft is relatively loaded this year, which matters a lot being the IOL is without question our greatest area of need. And if I'm gonna spin some kind of positive out of losing Smith, it's that Poles can now ink two talented players, hopefully both on the IOL, for the price of what it would have taken to sign Smith. I just said the easy part, the hard part is now taking such actions.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Here's an article from USA Today listing the top 15 free agents who could hit the open market next month:

NFL free agent rankings 2025: Tee Higgins, Sam Darnold lead top free agents on offense

Free agency is nearly here and multiple players could change teams. Here are our top 15 players on offense.

www.usatoday.com

Key players pertaining to the Bears OL needs and per their ranking:

3. Trey Smith - He remains the top OL on the market. Sucked in the playoffs, but a great regular season makes him the most in demand and he'll rake with his next contract.
4. Ronnie Stanley - Feels like he's been in the league for 20 years, yet he'll only be 31 this coming season. He's had injury issues, but last year he was healthy and made the Pro Bowl.
6. Drew Dalman - Top center on the market, assuming he's ok physically, he's my top get. I'm sick of poor center play from our team.
8. Will Fries - Pretty much the same as Dalman, if health is no concern, he could be a fit on the inside.
10. Mekhi Becton - As I've stated in a previous thread, here's your poor man's Trey Smith. If the budget's running a bit tight, he could be had for half the price tag of Smith.
12. Josh Myers - If Dalman doesn't work out for whatever reasons, how about this guy? It would be nice to take one from the Packers.
15. Tevin Jenkins - When healthy, he's a mauler, but that questionable health seems like it will always be an annual issue. It's looking like the Bears are gonna let him walk.

So the only player from this list who's no longer available is Smith. While others still might end up signing with their original teams, it's looking a bit more like these players will still be around when free agency officially commences on March 12th. If we only signed two from this list my choices would be:

Drew Dalman - We need a proven veteran center badly and by all measures Drew's the man. However, Josh Myers would serve as a more than capable substitute if Dalman doesn't come thru.
Mekhi Becton - Here's your half priced Trey Smith, which in turn could afford us to ink a 3rd IOL, and that would be...
...Kevin Zeitler - He's not on the list, but even into his age 35 season, he'd be more than a serviceable stopgap until one of our younger draftees is ready to take over. Had a solid season last year.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Not that the Bears have anyone to be considered for franchise tagging, and it's a fair guess to say anyone we're targeting in free agency won't be tagged either (Trey Smith aside). But I thought it was interesting to see the tag amounts by position.

Quarterback: $40.242 million
Running back: $13.64 million
Wide receiver: $23.959 million
Tight end: $13.826 million
Offensive line: $23.4 million
Defensive end: $22.0625 million
Defensive tackle: $25.12 million
Linebacker: $25.45 million
Cornerback: $20.187 million
Safety: $18.601 million
Punter/kicker: $6.313 million

It's funny, everyone talks about the importance of the sack chasing De/Edge position, yet it's worth less than the DT. And somehow LB commands even more than these other two. I suspect tho what boosts this amount is the highest paid LBs are also defacto Edge players as well. Right now RBs remain the second lowest paid unit, but I have a feeling over the next few years they'll at least slip past the TE group.

 

[Jiddy]

Rumor has it that Khalil Mack may be returning? Seems like BS unless he's willing to take a seriously low amount of money.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Looks like the Bears are trading a 6th rd pick for Rams guard Jonah Jackson:

Rams are trading Jonah Jackson to Bears for Day 3 pick in 2025 draft

The Rams are officially moving on from Jonah Jackson after one rough season, sending him to Chicago for a Day 3 pick

theramswire.usatoday.com

His salary is approx $17m+ for each of the next two years.

 

[BearsWillWin]

Looks like the Bears are trading a 6th rd pick for Rams guard Jonah Jackson:

Rams are trading Jonah Jackson to Bears for Day 3 pick in 2025 draft

The Rams are officially moving on from Jonah Jackson after one rough season, sending him to Chicago for a Day 3 pick

theramswire.usatoday.com

His salary is approx $17m+ for each of the next two years.

Hopefully a rework of that deal is coming because the Rams are retaining $0

 

[Jiddy]

Ok...So that's one. Now the C from Atlanta and the kid from LSU at guard and then we're off.

 

[wood20ks]

Looks like the Bears are trading a 6th rd pick for Rams guard Jonah Jackson:

Rams are trading Jonah Jackson to Bears for Day 3 pick in 2025 draft

The Rams are officially moving on from Jonah Jackson after one rough season, sending him to Chicago for a Day 3 pick

theramswire.usatoday.com

His salary is approx $17m+ for each of the next two years.

I was just getting ready to post that......

What are we doing fucking around with players like this.....
I know its a 6th rounder,but he has not played a full season since 2021.....hurt every year with games played getting lower and lower for three years in a row......

www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JackJo03

A waste of money.

 

[wood20ks]

Ok...So that's one. Now the C from Atlanta and the kid from LSU at guard and then we're off.

He's your jag.......

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I was just getting ready to post that......

What are we doing fucking around with players like this.....
I know its a 6th rounder,but he has not played a full season since 2021.....hurt every year with games played getting lower and lower for three years in a row......

www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JackJo03

A waste of money.

Yeah, not thrilled at all with this trade. I'm willing to hold off full judgment tho, as it's my understanding that when healthy, he's pretty good, especially with run blocking. But the key word here is WHEN he's healthy.

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

Looks like the Bears are trading a 6th rd pick for Rams guard Jonah Jackson:

Rams are trading Jonah Jackson to Bears for Day 3 pick in 2025 draft

The Rams are officially moving on from Jonah Jackson after one rough season, sending him to Chicago for a Day 3 pick

theramswire.usatoday.com

His salary is approx $17m+ for each of the next two years.

Not a bad trade. He has experience with BJ and we only gave up a 6th rounder. He was a pro bowler in 2021, but was horrible last year. I wonder if he’s seen as a starter here or not. Maybe BJ thinks he can fix Jonah.

I was just getting ready to post that......

What are we doing fucking around with players like this.....
I know its a 6th rounder,but he has not played a full season since 2021.....hurt every year with games played getting lower and lower for three years in a row......

www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JackJo03

A waste of money.

I dont think any of his contract is guaranteed after this year. So, if he’s hurt or sucks, we can cut him at no cost. This year it’s only 9 mil. I don’t think it’s too bad. I don’t think he’s a long term answer though.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Not a bad trade. He has experience with BJ and we only gave up a 6th rounder. He was a pro bowler in 2021, but was horrible last year. I wonder if he’s seen as a starter here or not. Maybe BJ thinks he can fix Jonah.

I dont think any of his contract is guaranteed after this year. So, if he’s hurt or sucks, we can cut him at no cost. This year it’s only 9 mil. I don’t think it’s too bad. I don’t think he’s a long term answer though.

BGFP = one smart dude. I just read an article in CBS Sports on this trade, which they graded, giving the Bears an A-, the Rams a D:

Jonah Jackson trade grades: Bears acquire former Pro Bowl OL from Rams for 2025 NFL Draft pick, per report

Jackson spent just one season in Los Angeles

www.cbssports.com

And it says here for those who don't want to read the whole article:

This is a very low-risk move for the Bears: Although they'll owe Jackson $17.5 million in 2025, they only had to give up a sixth-round pick to get him and his base salary isn't guaranteed for 2026.

Good call B!!

 

[averagejoe]

If you like PFF grades he was 40th out of 135.
Maybe he is meh, but still may be better than what we have.

 

[wood20ks]

I will believe it when I see it........

Id rather see a draftee at 6 than a someone thats been in the league for awhile now,thats been hurt and a team willing to take a 6th for him......

Thats all I really need to know.

Tho I hope your right BGFP.......

 

[wood20ks]

If you like PFF grades he was 40th out of 135.
Maybe he is meh, but still may be better than what we have.

We shouldve waited........

Seems to me every single year,some of the draftees that didnt get drafted get signed by someone.....
Not too mention freeagents that does not get signed right away......

 

[jwolt92]

It's a 6th round pick. Why are we pretending like those picks turn into perennial pro bowlers? It's a low risk move that cost the Bears little to nothing. I'd rather have a guy that has at least proven he can be a pro bowler. The 6th round pick could be anything, probably not a pro bowler

 

[averagejoe]

We shouldve waited........

Seems to me every single year,some of the draftees that didnt get drafted get signed by someone.....
Not too mention freeagents that does not get signed right away......

Teams can sign as many players as they want. Until week 1.

 

[justanidiot]

Not a bad trade. He has experience with BJ and we only gave up a 6th rounder. He was a pro bowler in 2021, but was horrible last year. I wonder if he’s seen as a starter here or not. Maybe BJ thinks he can fix Jonah.

I dont think any of his contract is guaranteed after this year. So, if he’s hurt or sucks, we can cut him at no cost. This year it’s only 9 mil. I don’t think it’s too bad. I don’t think he’s a long term answer though.

He was a pro bowl injury replacement. We had Trubisky in the pro bowl....

The problem is not the sixth round pick (Fields pick maybe?) The problem is his cap hit this season is 15 million. Two more years of contract at 9 million. So even if he is released, the number is still 15. Pretty sure we could have signed the best out there for 15 million for a season.