Bears won't have to make use of a roster tool they used last offseason which should cause much less headaches for pending free agents
The Chicago Bears should have a much easier time figuring out what to do with the list of pending free agents this time around compared to last offseason.The biggest headache this time last year was figuring out what to do with the future of star cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Johnson was nearly moved during the 2023 […]
The Chicago Bears should have a much easier time figuring out what to do with the list of pending free agents this time around compared to last offseason.
The biggest headache this time last year was figuring out what to do with the future of star cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Johnson was nearly moved during the 2023 season after requesting a trade and the bridges seemed to be falling apart.
Johnson finished that year with his first ever Pro Bowl nod and yet still wasn't given long-term security. To avoid letting their disgruntled defensive star hit the open market, the Bears placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Johnson on March 5th.
No one likes having to use the franchise tag, and players especially loathe it and for good reason. Luckily for Johnson, the Bears were able to hammer out a four-year, $76 million contract two days later. It doesn't always work out that way for tagged players.
The good news is, the Bears won't have to worry about any tagging this time around with any of their pending free agents, but other teams will.
On Monday, all signs point toward the Cincinnati Bengals having to go down that path with wide receiver Tee Higgins. The first of many potential tags to come.
Which Bears Players Could Be Franchise Tag Candidates?
The short answer is all of them. But, the Bears only have two pending free agents who would receive any consideration to be a franchise tag candidate: wide receiver Keenan Allen and left guard Teven Jenkins. And there's no chance either players get tagged.
For Allen's case, it's simple. The tag is way too high for any wide receiver, especially one who will be 33-years-old next season. For example, Higgins' one-year tag is expected to be over $25 million. Allen's market value is projected to be two-years, $22.2 million.
There's even a possibility that number would be too high for the Bears' front office, meaning Allen is likely going to hit free agency for the first time in his career.
As for Jenkins, the franchise tag for an offensive lineman is also set to be just over $25 million, based on the top five salaries at the position. Spotrac projects Jenkins' market value to be just over $10 million per year.
Based on Jenkins' health history and his own desire to land a solid contract, it seems like a split would be in the interest of both teams.
With the rising tag price don't expect many teams to go this route just to keep players around for one more season and extend negotiations. It hardly ever works out the way it did for the Bears and Jaylon Johnson last season and thankfully the team can avoid going through that headache of a process again.
As for the pending free agents, this means they can simply just hit the market and find the best deal to continue their career without being held hostage in negotiations. This works best for everyone involved and not every team can avoid dealing with this.
Underrated free agent offensive lineman with prior ties to Ben Johnson could be the ideal target for the Bears without breaking the bank
This would be a great low-cost addition.
