Bears upcoming free agents who are playing their way off the team
The Chicago Bears will have their fair share of tough decisions to make once the 2023 season comes to a close, but many of those decisions have already been made for the front office. The team will more than likely have a new coaching staff and quarterback in place by the start of the 2024 […]
The Chicago Bears will have their fair share of tough decisions to make once the 2023 season comes to a close, but many of those decisions have already been made for the front office.
The team will more than likely have a new coaching staff and quarterback in place by the start of the 2024 NFL season barring any type of surprising turnaround over the final three games of the season.
However, the Bears will also have some big decisions to make regarding how they plan to attack the free agency cycle. The team is armed with tons of cap space to utilize this offseason and will have 17 free agents set to potentially depart. However, some of those pending free agents have proven it's not worth bringing them back on another contract.
Bears upcoming free agents who shouldn’t be brought back:
Many of the Bears pending free agents are on the offensive side of the ball which clearly needs a complete overhaul from top to bottom. The team will be having a new play-caller in 2024 and many of the team's current players on the roster likely wouldn't fit into that new offense.
Three of the Bears 17 free agents are certain to depart in free agency since all three were brought into Chicago because of their ties to current offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Tight end Robert Tonyan, wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown and center Lucas Patrick should all join Getsy on his way out of Chicago once the season is over.
Tonyan was the latest Bears offensive player to lay an egg in Week 15 and quite frankly has proven himself to be a mistake that the Bears need to admit they made during the offseason. The Bears signed Tonyan to a 1 year, $2.65 million deal in the offseason to reunite with Getsy after the two spent three years together in Green Bay.
However, Tonyan has recorded just seven receptions for 58 yards in 14 games played in 2023. He's been a non-factor all season and on Sunday he had the biggest disappointing play of his career after dropping what would have been a monster completion in the first quarter.
St. Brown is another player who has struggled to catch on in 2023 while battling through multiple injuries. St. Brown has four receptions for 44 yards in 2023 and has missed nine of the team's 14 games. The 27-year-old has spent the last four years in Getsy's offense and should also be on his way out with him, regardless of how good he can be as a blocker.
Patrick is the other odd man out who joined the team to continue playing under Getsy. The team's starting center has been the most problematic member of the unit upfront. Patrick has started 13 of the Bears 14 games this season and has been routinely beaten by opposing defensive lineman all season long. Pro Football Focus has given Patrick a horrid 29.7 pass blocking grade on the season, the second lowest grade on the entire unit.
Wide receiver Darnell Mooney is another player who is likely going to be playing his final games with Chicago over the next few weeks. However, this will ultimately depend on how the new offensive play-caller feels about his services.
According to Spotrac, Mooney's market value is expected to be a 4-year, $42 million contract. That number should be consider too steep for a player who has just 29 receptions and one touchdown this season.
Mooney's botched hail mary catch in Week 15 was another highly documented error on Sunday, although it definitely was a tough play to make. Nevertheless, Mooney had the ball in his hands with the game on the line and couldn't secure the catch. He also had multiple issues with blocking assignments and has a team-high five drops this season.
The Bears do have a few upcoming free agents who have certainly deserved a new contract going forward. Players such as cornerback Jaylon Johnson, running back D'Onta Foreman, kicker Cairo Santos and possibly even defensive end Yannick Ngakoue have proved to be worth another deal with Chicago this offseason.
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