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Before kicking off our four-part free agency round table from Monday, March 9 through Thursday, March 12, we wanted to re-rack this article about the current free agents on the Bears.
The Chicago Bears have 21 players coming out of contract when the 2019 league year ends on March 18 at 3:00 p.m. Central time, but not all free agents are created equal.
- Unrestricted free agents are free to sign with any team that offers them a contract.
- Restricted free agents can receive a tender offer from their original team at either a first round, a second round, an original round, or a right of first refusal tender option. Another team can sign them to an offer sheet with the original club being allowed to match. If they don’t match they will receive the draft pick they were tendered at for compensation from the team that gave the offer sheet.
- Exclusive rights free agents have two or less accrued seasons in the NFL and if their current team chooses to re-sign them they can, but if not they become free agents.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Danny Trevathan ILB
Nick Kwiatkoski ILB
Kevin Pierre-Louis ILB
Devante Bond LB (Re-signed on February 22)
Deon Bush S
DeAndre Houston-Carson S
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix FS
Sherrick McManis DB
Aaron Lynch OLB
Nick Williams DT
Brent Urban DE
T.J. Clemmings RT
Cornelius Lucas LT
Bradley Sowell TE
Ted Larsen G
Chase Daniel QB
Patrick Scales LS
Restricted Free Agents
Roy Robertson-Harris DL
Isaiah Irving OLB
Exclusive Rights Free Agents
Rashaad Coward OL
J.P. Holtz TE
Not included on this list of free agents is quarterback Tyler Bray, who was a member of the Bears practice squad for 2019 and technically a free agent during that time. He is free to sign with any team.
With Kyle Long’s pending retirement, the Bears will save $8.1 million in 2020 cap space which would give them around $25 million in cap space, but once the Eddie Jackson contract numbers are announced that will come down.
The Bears have a few other prospective cap casualties that they could do to save even more money in 2020. Cutting corner Prince Amukamara would save $8 million, cutting wide receiver Taylor Gabriel would save $4.5 million (Both of these happened on February 21), cutting kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson would save $5.25 million and rescinding the 5th-year option on outside linebacker Leonard Floyd would save $13,222,000.
Who do you think the Bears re-sign and do you see any players getting released?