With the 2024 NFL season officially in the books after Sunday’s Super Bowl, the offseason intrigue of free agency and the draft takes center stage.
And with the Chicago Bears expected to make substantial moves — especially on the offensive and defensive lines — to bolster the roster for new coach Ben Johnson, Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag runneth over with questions about potential targets.
The Kansas City Chiefs wilted trying to protect Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Are they really going to let Trey Smith leave in free agency? — Tito, Elk Grove
That’s a good question because the Chiefs were run over by a Philadelphia Eagles defense, led by former Bears coordinator Vic Fangio, that didn’t even have to blitz. Smith wasn’t great in the game, but that doesn’t mar his resume when it comes to free agency.
Where the Chiefs really struggled was protecting Mahomes on the edges. They are stuck with an underperforming right tackle in Jawaan Taylor and were forced to slide All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle as a stop-gap measure. It will be interesting to see what decisions they reach.
I can tell you at the midpoint of the season, sentiment around the league was that there was little chance the Chiefs would allow Smith to depart. That shifted significantly by the end of the season, with folks I chatted with expecting him to reach the open market. The Chiefs have to figure out what they’re going to do with linebacker Nick Bolton, defensive end George Karlaftis and cornerback Trent McDuffie eligible for contract extensions. Perhaps positional value will lead them to allocate resources for the pass rusher and cover man over the interior offensive lineman.
General manager Brett Veach has had success rebuilding the offensive line on the fly, and with an extension the Chiefs could lower Thuney’s cap hit and create more space. I was wondering the same thing as you after the game. We won’t know the answer to this question for some time. It’s possible the Chiefs would use the franchise tag to orchestrate a tag-and-trade with Smith, but offensive tackles, guards and centers are all considered the same for tag calculations, so that’s a hefty number for an interior lineman.
Based on what I’ve heard previously, I would say there’s still a good chance Smith becomes a free agent, and if he does, you can expect him to reset the market as the top-paid guard in the league. The Bears would have competition if he’s a free agent.
What’s next for Ben Johnson? Is his coaching staff finalized? — Rob W., Mount Prospect
I expect the Bears to make an official announcement regarding all of the coaching positions when the staff is finalized. They still need to hire a few assistant position coaches, and once all of that is wrapped up, there likely will be a news release.
Next, the new staff needs to get up to speed as fast as possible with the current roster — both players under contract and those coming out of contract. The coaches already hired no doubt have already started that task. One would imagine the coaching staff and front office will have a series of meetings to review the roster before the scouting combine Feb. 24-March 3 in Indianapolis.
Have heard and read the Bears may have had interest in Micah Parsons. Do you think with the coaching change they still have interest and, if so, what would the comp be? If it’s just the first-rounder this year, I could convince myself to do it. You? — @the maxconnor1
There’s nothing quite like rumor season in the NFL, and the space between the end of the Super Bowl and the opening of free agency gives folks more than enough time to let the mind run wild. I find it difficult to believe the Dallas Cowboys actually would trade Parsons. It’s usually not a good idea to deal your best player in the prime of his career.
In the event the Cowboys decide to take calls on Parsons, every team should have interest. But your compensation for acquiring him — one first-round draft pick — is incredibly light. A package to acquire Parsons would start with two first-round picks and grow from there. Then the acquiring team likely would have to sign Parsons to a deal making him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is currently that guy at $34 million per season, and I’d bet Parsons would be gunning for something close to $40 million per season. An acquiring team would be foolish not to have an extension done with Parsons before executing a trade; otherwise, things could get really difficult down the road.
In a scenario in which the Bears traded for Parsons, they would have Montez Sweat as Robin to Parsons’ Batman — and they’d be out a whole bunch of draft capital with a much more challenging cap situation and a host of needs on the offensive line, at defensive tackle and elsewhere.
What’s the likelihood Ashton Jeanty is the pick at No. 10 if their other top options are off the board? — @austin70121508
As I said Monday morning on the “Mully & Haugh Show” on WSCR-AM 670, I think the mock drafts giving the Bears Jeanty — the super-talented Boise State running back — were dealt a blow by Super Bowl LIX. That was partially in jest, but if you watched the Eagles put a thorough beating on the Chiefs, you were struck by the dominance Philadelphia enjoyed on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
The Bears, as currently constructed, cannot win a game in the trenches in the same manner. They have to get better on the offensive and defensive lines, and selecting a running back, even a potentially special one like Jeanty, is a luxury they can’t afford. This is a terrific draft for running backs. The Bears can find a high-quality back after they’ve taken care of needs that cannot be pushed off.
Why are the Bears always near the top of the “cap room available” lists entering the offseason? It’s obviously better to have cap room than not but it’s also better to be in the playoffs than not. What does Ryan Poles need to change in his cap management to make us a perennial contender? — @therealphedog
The Bears have not always been near the top of the league in available cap space. Remember, when Poles took over in 2022, the Bears were pressed against the cap and wound up making a series of moves to clear the books and reset their ledger. In doing so, they carried roughly $85 million in dead cap space that season.
Since then they’ve had one of the younger rosters in the league, and generally speaking that can mean more players on cost-controlled deals. The Bears haven’t had a highly paid quarterback since Jay Cutler’s eight-year run. It’s safe to say few teams (if any) have used less cap space on quarterbacks than the Bears since the start of the 2017 season, the first year without Cutler.
According to Over The Cap, the Bears are sixth in available cap space for 2025 with nearly $63 million. Fourteen teams project to have $40 million or more in cap space.
Poles has written some large contracts for players such as Jaylon Johnson, Montez Sweat, Tremaine Edmunds, DJ Moore, Cole Kmet and others. He took on a huge one-year salary in 2024 by trading for Keenan Allen, who earned $23 million, but Allen is off to free agency so that number is off the books.
I think you’re looking at it the wrong way, though. Poles doesn’t need to change his cap management to make the Bears a perennial contender. He has managed the cap well, and that’s why the Bears have flexibility to make moves this offseason and why they’ve been flexible the past couple of years. What the Bears need is a slew of better players that will create difficult decisions down the road for the front office on whom to keep and whom to replace.
Those are the good problems that winning franchises like the Eagles and Chiefs are going through. Those are the challenges you face when you don’t have as much cap flexibility and you have talented players coming out of contract or due for extensions.
When you don’t have a lot of players to give second contracts to, it makes it easier to manage the cap. I’d remind folks what I wrote coming out of the Senior Bowl last month. I think there’s a solid chance the Bears will attempt to get an extension done with nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon, who will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025. That’s a move that could take a little chunk out of the cap space.
I know a lot of focus will be on right guard Trey Smith if he enters free agency but after watching how dominant the Philadelphia Eagles were in the trenches, should Bears fans be hoping some of the Eagles’ free agents hit the market as well? Do you think DE Josh Sweat, DT Milton Williams or offensive lineman Mekhi Becton would be realistic options to sign this offseason? — Corey S.
The Eagles will have to fill a handful of positions because the champs are going to suffer some losses, potentially significant ones, in free agency. Sweat had a fantastic Super Bowl with 2½ sacks and has been a steady producer for the Eagles with 43 sacks over the last six seasons. He should do well for himself in free agency, but I wouldn’t categorize him as a top-tier edge rusher.
There’s no question Sweat benefited from playing on a loaded line with players such as Williams, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and others. He’s interesting, but what would the cost be for a player who turns 28 in March and has played in 104 regular-season games? While some elite edge rushers have been discussed as potential trade targets leaguewide, there isn’t a great list of pass rushers headed to free agency and the overall free-agent pool is a little watered down. Those factors will help Sweat.
Williams is maybe more intriguing as he’s coming out of his rookie contract. He had a career-high five sacks this past season — plus two in the Super Bowl — and could go from a guy who was operating a little under the radar alongside Carter to being fabulously paid.
Becton was one of the shrewd additions GM Howie Roseman made last offseason as the Eagles got him on a cheap, one-year, $2.8 million contract and converted him from tackle to guard. He wasn’t good as a first-round pick for the New York Jets but really found himself in Philadelphia and no doubt repaired his value.
All three of these Eagles will generate varying levels of interest from teams with flexible salary-cap situations, and you’d imagine Philadelphia potentially would explore the possibility of re-signing one of them, perhaps Becton.
Given that it can be difficult to find multiple OL starters in the same draft and Ryan Poles is hesitant to spend big on individual players in free agency, do you think the Bears will focus on signing less expensive linemen and maybe forgoing Trey Smith? Specifically, could Drew Dalman become a priority free-agency signing at center coupled with someone like Brandon Scherff at right guard? The team could follow up by using its first three draft picks on OL, DL and RB. — Tim T.
I agree it can be challenging to find multiple starters on the offensive line in the same draft class, certainly as rookies. It’s supply and demand, and there’s a long list of teams with O-line needs. I would push back on the idea Poles is hesitant to spend big in free agency. The Bears gave middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds a four-year, $72 million contract in free agency two years ago, and they haven’t hesitated to be in the market for other top players who didn’t wind up signing with them.
Let’s not pretend like signing Dalman would be a budget move either. He’s going to be the best center to hit the market, provided the cap-strapped Atlanta Falcons don’t re-sign him. The Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey is the league’s highest-paid center, earning $18 million per season. Four other centers are at or above $12 million annually, topped by the Detroit Lions’ Frank Ragnow ($13.5 million). I wouldn’t be surprised if Dalman aims to slot in just above Ragnow.
It’s difficult to forecast how the puzzle will be put together. We’re a month away from the start of free agency. I could envision a scenario in which the Bears sign two offensive linemen in free agency and add one with a premium draft pick — one of their first two selection. They also could double down on offensive linemen by taking two in their first three picks and signing two veterans in free agency.
If Smith doesn’t reach free agency or the Bears don’t land him, there’s a long list of experienced guards they could consider. Scherff, 33, is probably older than they would want to consider, at least as a Plan B. You’re talking about more of a stop-gap measure than a building block.
Will the Bears be interested in signing free agent Khalil Mack? Do you think he has enough juice left to be considered a counterpart to Montez Sweat at end? — Pat R., Chicago
Mack’s production dipped to six sacks this past season for the Los Angeles Chargers after he had 17 in 2023. He turns 34 this month and I believe he has another year or two of quality production, provided he’s not on the field too much. Mack is set to enter free agency for the first time in his career, and I can’t imagine he’d be looking to suit up for cheap in 2025.
“I don’t want to go out with a loss based on who I am,” he told reporters in Los Angeles after the Chargers’ final regular-season game. “I definitely want to make that push and play some important games in the playoffs.”
I’m not sure he would view the Bears, coming off a five-win season, as a team that’s prepared to make a playoff push this year, but maybe they could make a compelling pitch to him. I’d imagine Mack will draw solid interest in free agency because, while some marquee edge rushers are rumored to be potential trade candidates, the list of free agents is underwhelming.
Mack wouldn’t solve any of the Bears’ long-term issues, and my thinking is they would prefer to pursue options with more runway. Unless Ryan Poles feels pressure to try to turn the Bears around immediately — and I don’t get the sense that is the situation — I would be surprised if they were interested in paying significant money to a player as old as Mack.
Remember, the same front office traded Mack for pretty cheap back in 2022. But if the Bears believe he can give them 20-plus sacks over two seasons and make Sweat better, who knows? Maybe there’s a chance for a deal.
Do you see Tremaine Edmunds as a cap casualty? Not a lot of difference-making production for a big cap number that could be used elsewhere. — @jeg_gregory
That would be a bit of a surprise to me, especially after Ben Johnson praised the team’s linebackers — alluding to Edmunds and T.J. Edwards — at his introductory news conference. I don’t think Edmunds was as good in 2024 as he was in 2023, but you could say that about almost every player on the defense.
The Bears could save about $4.4 million against the cap if they released Edmunds, but it’s not like they need cap space right now. They have other players whose releases would clear more space. If they cut tight end Gerald Everett and defensive end DeMarcus Walker, they would add nearly $11 million in space.
They don’t have a replacement for Edmunds on the roster, and I don’t know that they would find an upgrade with the $4.4 million in savings. I think he’ll be on the team with the hope that a new scheme and an improved defensive line would better showcase his talents.
Is there a scenario where you see the Bears trading up in the first round of this draft? — @gil_irizarry715
Phone lines always will be open, but it’s pointless to discuss this a month before free agency begins. You can’t rule out the possibility, but my hunch is the odds are slim the Bears would trade up. It would take the right player being available within a short distance of No. 10 for the Bears to make the move without eroding a lot of their draft capital.
Who is that player? You’d be taking a stab in the dark. There aren’t a lot of super-high-end prospects in this class, or at least that’s the popular thinking right now. So I’m sure there could be teams interested in trading back.
Where would the ideal trading-back spot be? — @togatogatoga87
It’s rare when I get a question about the Bears staying put and not trading a first-round pick. They’re coming off a lousy 5-12 season, the kind of record that usually results in a better pick than No. 10. They need difference makers. I think chances are greatest they stay put.
As I said above, phone lines are always open and if there’s an enticing offer, it could be something to consider. Some folks really like the depth of this draft, saying there isn’t a lot of difference among players in the range of, say, No. 15 to No. 40 or so. If that’s the prevailing thought when the draft rolls around, trading back might be difficult. I think the Bears are best off staying at No. 10 and getting the highest-graded lineman (offense or defense) on their board.
If Ian Cunningham were to accept a GM role with Jacksonville, do you believe Ryan Poles would fill his vacancy? Do you know who he might have in mind if so? — @mdourlain
Jeff King, who originally joined the Bears as a scouting intern in 2015 and was hired as a pro scout in 2016, has slowly climbed the ranks and is likely the next man up. King was promoted last year to senior director of player personnel and was one of the trusted advisers Poles had on the search committee for a new coach.
The Bears haven’t always had an assistant GM and some teams don’t have one. If the Jaguars hire Cunningham, who remains in the running for that job, I’d expect King to be promoted.
Do you think Ricky Stromberg could be a surprise under-the-radar candidate for the center spot if he’s healthy going into camp? — Scott D.
That seems unlikely. Stromberg, whom the Bears signed to the practice squad in November, would be in the mix to start only if Plans A, B and maybe C fall through or something unexpected happens.
As I have written a couple of times, it’s not a good draft for the position. Unless you like the idea of drafting North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel relatively high and moving him to center, there’s probably not a premium center in the draft. My hunch is the Bears will make center a priority in free agency and attempt to end what has been sort of an annual revolving door at the position.
In that scenario, Stromberg perhaps would have a shot to compete for a job as a backup, but he wouldn’t be in the mix to start. He was signed to a reserve/future contract, so he is on the 90-man roster.
