Bears will pick up Leonard Floyd’s 5th-year option

The Chicago Bears end of the season press conference from Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy was full of a lot of good stuff, and we’ll have a full recap very soon, but we wanted to get this one out there as soon as possible.

Ryan Pace said in regards to outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, “Our plan is to pick up that fifth-year option.”

The official deadline isn’t until May, but I can’t see Pace and the Bears changing their minds on Floyd’s 2020 season. He’s due to make about $5 million in 2019, his fourth year, and the 5th-year option would be about $13 million, but the Bears could sign the 26-year old to a contract extension before that time.

Floyd just completed what could be considered his best all-around year as a professional. He was solid against the run and decent in coverage all year long, and his pass rush improved as the year wore on.

He played in all 16 games for the first time in his career, he had a career high 47 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 4 passes defended, as well as his first career interception that he returned for a touchdown.

His sack numbers were less than expected with just 4, but he played the early part of the season with a club on his hand.

New defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano will likely blitz more that his predecessor, but some of those will be zone blitzes where he drops a player that is showing pass rush. I can see Floyd being disguised all over the front of that defense in this manner.