Last look at Bears cap before free agency and who is most tradable
https://youtu.be/R7qovNFbKzk
The Chicago Bears are making moves, and the front office isn’t afraid to open the checkbook! With free agency right around the corner, we take a final look at the Bears’ salary cap situation and which players could be on the move. Will Ryan Poles pull off a major trade? Or are the Bears planning a spending spree to fill key roster gaps? Let’s break it all down!
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#ChicagoBears #BearsFreeAgency #NFLRumors #BearsSalaryCap #RyanPoles #NFLNews #BearsOffseason #NFCNorth #BearsTrades #BearsUpdates #BearsRoster #BearsRebuild #FootballTalk #WindyCityGridiron #BearsBreakingNews
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**Fair Use Disclaimer**
This video contains copyrighted material used under the fair use provisions of Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. It is for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, and research. No copyright infringement is intended.
https://youtu.be/R7qovNFbKzk
The Chicago Bears are making moves, and the front office isn’t afraid to open the checkbook! With free agency right around the corner, we take a final look at the Bears’ salary cap situation and which players could be on the move. Will Ryan Poles pull off a major trade? Or are the Bears planning a spending spree to fill key roster gaps? Let’s break it all down!
----------
#ChicagoBears #BearsFreeAgency #NFLRumors #BearsSalaryCap #RyanPoles #NFLNews #BearsOffseason #NFCNorth #BearsTrades #BearsUpdates #BearsRoster #BearsRebuild #FootballTalk #WindyCityGridiron #BearsBreakingNews
----------
**Fair Use Disclaimer**
This video contains copyrighted material used under the fair use provisions of Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. It is for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, and research. No copyright infringement is intended.
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SportsTranscript
00:00The Chicago Bears have been making serious moves this offseason, but with every big contract they
00:05hand out, their salary cap takes a hit. Just a week ago, this team had nearly $80 million
00:11in cap space, one of the highest figures in the league. Now, after signing key players,
00:16that number has dropped to around $40 million. But do not let that number fool you. The Bears
00:22are still in a strong financial position, heading into free agency. The journey to cap health.
00:29General Manager Ryan Poles has done a great job managing this team's money. When he took over,
00:35the Bears had one of the worst cap situations in the National Football League.
00:40Years of mismanagement left them with dead money tied to players who were not even on
00:44the roster anymore. That is not a sustainable way to build a winning team. So, Poles made
00:48the tough decision to clean house, move on from expensive contracts, and start fresh.
00:54It was a painful process, but now the Bears have one of the healthiest cap
00:57situations in the league. Poles had to make difficult decisions, cutting ties with beloved
01:03veterans and avoiding flashy signings that could have hurt the team long term. Instead of handing
01:09out massive contracts to players past their prime, he focused on building a young competitive roster
01:14with flexibility. This strategy has allowed the Bears to maneuver freely in the market,
01:20while still keeping the core of their team intact. However, after making aggressive moves in free
01:25agency, including signing top-tier offensive linemen Joe Thune and Jonah Jackson, the team
01:31has less flexibility than before. Protecting the quarterback is always a smart investment,
01:37and the Bears knew they needed to improve the offensive line. But with less money to work with,
01:41they have to be strategic about their next moves. They cannot afford to make careless decisions,
01:46especially with critical areas still needing improvement. The question now is simple. Can
01:52the Bears still afford to chase a big name free agent? Or will they need to restructure contracts,
01:57or even trade some players to create more space? Let's break down their options in detail.
02:04The art of creating cap space. One way to create more salary cap room is by restructuring contracts.
02:11This is a common practice in the National Football League, where teams take a portion of a player's
02:15salary and convert it into a signing bonus. That money is then spread out over the remaining years
02:20of the contract, reducing the immediate cap hit. The Bears have several players whose contracts
02:26could be restructured to free up space, but each move has consequences. The first and most obvious
02:31candidate is Montez Sweat. His base salary for this season is nearly 21 million dollars. If the
02:37Bears convert some of that into a signing bonus, they could free up between 10 and 15 million
02:42dollars right away. That would give them immediate flexibility without having to cut anyone. Another
02:48option is DJ Moore. He has a similar contract structure, but since he just signed an extension,
02:53restructuring his deal could send the wrong message to the locker room. Teams need to be careful when
02:58restructuring recently extended contracts, as it can create distrust among players. Then there are
03:04players like Jalon Johnson, Tremaine Edmonds, Cole Kmet, and DeAndre Swift. All of them have
03:10sizable salaries with room to restructure, but the team has to be careful. The more they push money
03:16into the future, the more they risk putting themselves in a bad cap situation down the road.
03:22That is exactly what they are trying to avoid after the mistakes of the past regime. The last
03:27thing the Bears want is to return to the days of heavy dead cap penalties. Exploring trade
03:35possibilities. Now let's talk about trades. This is where things get interesting. Some contracts are
03:41easier to move than others. If the Bears want to clear space while adding draft capital,
03:46there are a few players who stand out as the most tradable assets on the roster. The most
03:53valuable trade piece they have is Montez Sweat, but there is a catch. If they trade him before
03:59June 1st, they would take a massive dead cap hit. But if they wait until after June 1st, they would
04:06free up 21 million dollars in cap space while only taking a 4 million dollar dead cap hit.
04:12That is a huge difference and could be a deciding factor in whether or not they move him. EJ Moore
04:19is in a similar situation. If he is traded after June 1st, the Bears would clear nearly 21 million
04:24dollars in cap space, but losing their top wide receiver would make things much harder on whoever
04:30is playing quarterback next season. With a new offensive system potentially in place, keeping
04:35key playmakers is essential. Jalon Johnson is another name to watch. If traded after June 1st,
04:42the Bears would free up 16 million dollars in cap space while only taking a 5 million dollar
04:47dead cap hit. That is a move they could consider if they decide to rework the secondary. While
04:55Johnson is a top-tier cornerback, the Bears could explore drafting a younger, cheaper alternative
05:00to fill his spot. Then there are players like Cole Komet and DeAndre Swift. If the Bears move
05:06Komet after June 1st, they save 10 million dollars while only taking a 1.6 million dollar dead cap
05:12hit. Swift would save them 8 million dollars while only creating a 1.3 million dollar dead cap hit.
05:19Those are numbers worth paying attention to. Both players are key contributors, but their
05:24contracts could become expendable depending on how the roster shapes up. The value of expiring
05:30contracts. Finally, let's talk about players in the final year of their contract. These are often
05:36the easiest to move because their remaining salary is low and there is little to no long-term financial
05:42impact. Kevin Bayard is one example. Trading him would clear 7 million dollars in cap space while
05:48only creating a 1.5 million dollar dead cap hit. Ryan Bates, who barely played last year,
05:54would free up 4 million dollars with no dead cap hit at all. Braxton Jones, the team starting left
06:01tackle, would clear 3.6 million dollars if moved. But finding a replacement would not be easy.
06:08Jaquan Brisker could also be a trade piece. Moving him would clear 3.4 million dollars with only a
06:15600,000 dollar dead cap hit. And then there is TJ Edwards. Trading him would save the Bears 5.5
06:22million dollars while only costing them 1.5 million in dead money. The strategy moving forward.
06:29The bottom line is this. The Bears still have enough cap space to be active in free agency,
06:33but they have to be smart. Maybe they go after a pass rusher. Maybe they target a starting center
06:39like Drew Dallman, who is expected to command around 14 million dollars per year. Or maybe they
06:46hold on to their money and focus on the draft, where they still have multiple premium picks to
06:51work with. Every decision they make now will impact their ability to compete in the upcoming season
06:58and beyond. Ryan Poles has options, and as Bears fans, we have seen what happens when a front
07:04office mismanages the cap. The last thing we want is to go back to the days of dead money and wasted
07:11contracts. This is a new era. Smart spending, smart moves, and hopefully a winning season ahead.