Article from Durkin here pretty much nails it on Alshon and how disorganized Pace and the Bears appear to be at accomplishing their goal, whatever that may be.
In an offseason filled with crucial and telling organizational decisions, Bears general manager Ryan Pace made a big one. The Bears have
reportedly elected to let wide receiver Alshon Jeffery become a free agent. Odds are, he has likely played his last snap for the Bears.
In a weak free agent class, particularly at wide receiver, Jeffery immediately becomes the top available target at his position and one of the biggest names on the open market. Even though the Bears have an estimated $60 million in free cap space currently, allowing 31 other teams to set the market for Jeffery will likely price him out of their budget. He’s going to command around $14 million per season and likely $40 million guaranteed. Teams like the Titans, Rams, Panthers, Ravens and Eagles will immediately start discussing possibilities and contract parameters.
The Bears have had since Jan. 2 to exclusively negotiate with Jeffery, yet nothing materialized. At the Senior Bowl in late January, Pace told reporters there had been no contract negotiations with Jeffery. Since Pace arrived in Chicago, availability has been Jeffery’s issue. In 2015, he struggled with soft-tissue injuries that cost him seven games, while this past season, he missed four games due to a performance-enhancing drug (PED) suspension. Pace missed his opportunity to lock Jeffery up two offseasons ago and that decision has now come full circle.
Productivity, however, has never been an issue for Jeffery. When he’s on the field, he’s a true, coverage-dictating No. 1 option who changes the math for an offense. He forces a defense into “two over one” (meaning a safety rolled over the top to where he’s aligned) coverage situations. He’s proven capable of winning in double-coverage situations and also
creates opportunities for his teammates to win in single coverage
This move signals a few things, primarily where the team views itself. The Bears aren’t close to winning and they know it. They view Jeffery as a luxury rather than a necessity and want to allocate their cap dollars elsewhere.
The problem with that approach is peeling away offensive skill players has become the norm since Pace and John Fox arrived before the 2015 season. Gone are Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte, Martellus Bennett and now likely Jeffery and quarterback Jay Cutler. Who have they replaced those pieces with? Other than 2016 rookie running back Jordan Howard, nobody commensurate with the performance of their predecessors. Having a centerpiece running back like Howard is a start, but having a receiver who can make a team pay over the top for dropping a safety into the box is even better.
Furthermore, the Bears are preparing to bring in their quarterback of the future. How is allowing the only proven playmaker in your passing game to wear a different team’s jersey next fall conducive to said quarterback’s success? This was a topic Pace discussed, albeit in a meandering manner, this past January.
“If you are talking about adding a quarterback, you want to make sure your roster is equipped to handle that quarterback,” Pace said. “When you come into a situation where there are a lot of holes and there are a lot of heavy lifting that needs to take place and you’re trying to fill needs all over the roster, hey, when the position comes and it’s right for us to strike a quarterback, the environment’s more conducive for that quarterback to have success.”
How is the environment more conducive for a quarterback to have success in Chicago now than it was back in 2015 when the team had better talent and offensive coaches? Pace said everything hinges on getting the quarterback position right this offseason, yet he’s likely making it more difficult for that player to succeed. The messaging and actions simply aren’t in sync.
Perhaps Pace and Fox aren’t on as hot of seats this fall as perceived. Why else would they be comfortable moving on from Jeffery with the current wide receiver depth chart they have unless they have some assurances about their future beyond this season? That depth chart currently stands at Kevin White, Cam Meredith, Eddie Royal (a possible cap casualty), Daniel Braverman, Dres Anderson, Rueben Randle, and Josh Bellamy (who is an exclusive rights free agent). Best of luck to you in Chicago, mystery quarterback.
The team will now be forced to look to a weak crop of free agent wide receivers led by Kenny Stills, Kenny Britt and Terrelle Pryor. Players who are nowhere near as productive as Jeffery. The Bears will likely look to the middle rounds of draft as well, but is adding more inexperience to an already unproven group a prudent approach?
Bringing in a new quarterback typically buys a general manager — and sometimes a coach — a few years. But why has this this group earned a full benefit of the doubt? It’s year three of this regime. The honeymoon is over. Results must match the rhetoric. Nine wins in 32 tries suggests things aren’t going to plan or that the plan itself was flawed.
Pace has maintained that he is seeking playmakers on both sides of the ball. So far on offense, only Howard falls into that category. Jeffery is a proven playmaker still heading into the prime years of his career. Decisions like this from Pace simply create holes on a roster that already has craters, which isn’t a wise approach.
