Illinois law doing its best to kill Bears free agent hopes.

[dollamillionz]

They cheap and they ain't got respect for the game the players the fans or the gift they got in a billion dolla bizniz. Fuck all them and they deserve they houses burned down I wouldnt even piss on that shit to put it out with @bearsausage77s dik. Fuck you Mcklaskeys you should be tarred and feathered and thrown in Lake Michigan!

relax buddy i don't think this bill will be passed

i think this just goes the show that billionaires only care about them and not the little buddies like me

That's truth and errbody knows it but we worship dem rich bitches like they own us like slaves f them they gonna pay the piper one day and it will be ugly.

[Rusty Trombagent]

reason #∞ why billionaires are not looking out for you.

[BamaBear09]

If you ever wanted to accuse the McCaskeys of being cheap, now is legitimately the time to do so.

Whelp... I would say a nice "told ya so" to the folks on here who called my complaints about them being cheap a "tired old trope" but seeing as how bad this looks on it's own says enough, I spose...

[Moriarty]

This is really mind-blowing.
Pass or not, it goes on the List of Astoundingly Incompetent Stunts the McCaskeys Have Pulled.


Can you imagine being Pace and having to deal with this shit?

[Boris13c]

Can you imagine being Pace and having to deal with this shit?

if Pace took the job oblivious to the long public negative history of the McAsskey clan, then that is on him and I have no sympathy for him in that regard

[Ormazd]

I've suffered through 50 years of mostly shitty teams and never questioned my fandom, but this level of deplorable shady fuckery could turn me into a Packer fan.

[ysleblanc]

They cheap and they ain't got respect for the game the players the fans or the gift they got in a billion dolla bizniz. Fuck all them and they deserve they houses burned down I wouldnt even piss on that shit to put it out with @bearsausage77s dik. Fuck you Mcklaskeys you should be tarred and feathered and thrown in Lake Michigan!

relax buddy i don't think this bill will be passed

i think this just goes the show that billionaires only care about them and not the little buddies like me

People should have figured that out BEFORE the election!

[UOK]

Yeah, let's not have this become a political thread.

I know it's subject is centered around Illinois state law, but we have a pretty clear policy on politics.

[Otis Day]

From what I heard this is not that unusual and other states with NFL teams are dealing with it as well. The only other state I remember being mentioned was Michigan.

[mmmc_35]

From what I heard this is not that unusual and other states with NFL teams are dealing with it as well. The only other state I remember being mentioned was Michigan.

I read something about states wanting this because they are paying out too much money. These bills effect more then just athletes. In a state as broke as Illinois they are trying to stay afloat by cutting pay outs.

I don't know a ton about it but the article seemed logical. The problem is the franchises name attached to it.

[malk]

Workers take the risk, owners take the profits. Plus ca change.

[GSH]

Because it wasn't going to be hard enough to persuade real talent to want to play in Chicago...

[ysleblanc]

Because it wasn't going to be hard enough to persuade real talent to want to play in Chicago...

They have signed a boatload of top FA's the last 10 years. That's not a concern for me.

[Atkins&Rebel]

I haven't read the law, my only question is this:
After the age limit, do they then revert to a normal disability check?

If so they should have plenty of money from playing and the years of the inflated disability to cover costs and live on.

No need to continue the public subsidation of players.

[UOK]

I can't help but feel like this played a huge part in the Bears not landing jack shit yesterday.

[mmmc_35]

I can't help but feel like this played a huge part in the Bears not landing jack shit yesterday.

I mentioned it yesterday. I completely agree.

[thunderspirit]

I doubt it.

The Bears are 9-23 in the last two seasons under a notoriously hard-assed coach who, barring a miraculous turnaround that seems unlikely, is probably gone after this year. Add in a GM unwilling to overpay beyond what he deems the value to be and it's not a surprise players are looking elsewhere.

[IotaNet]

... a GM unwilling to overpay beyond what he deems the value to be ...

This right here. Free agency is big and its exciting but we need to be building through the draft, not by purchasing a lot of bright & shiny objects that turn out to be fools gold.

[BamaBear09]

... a GM unwilling to overpay beyond what he deems the value to be ...

This right here. Free agency is big and its exciting but we need to be building through the draft, not by purchasing a lot of bright & shiny objects that turn out to be fools gold.

How many time have the Redskins splashed out and ate up all the top FAs only to watch their season just stumble to a finish... the Eagles "dream team" when they went out and got Asmogha to pair with Asante Samuel and DRC, they picked up Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Ernie Sims and their defense still under performed... free agency is slightly less of a crapshoot as the draft only you have to pay WAY more and the bomb could blow up even more in your face if you don't keep to a standard... Pace is going to work this like he has... find pieces for prices he likes and do his best to find quality and value in the draft. This type of process takes time and hopefully Pace has the time he needs to get pieces in place. I'd really prefer to have mainly homegrown talent and the occasional FA addition when it is supremely needed.

[Hematite]

... a GM unwilling to overpay beyond what he deems the value to be ...

This right here. Free agency is big and its exciting but we need to be building through the draft, not by purchasing a lot of bright & shiny objects that turn out to be fools gold.

How many time have the Redskins splashed out and ate up all the top FAs only to watch their season just stumble to a finish... the Eagles "dream team" when they went out and got Asmogha to pair with Asante Samuel and DRC, they picked up Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Ernie Sims and their defense still under performed... free agency is slightly less of a crapshoot as the draft only you have to pay WAY more and the bomb could blow up even more in your face if you don't keep to a standard... Pace is going to work this like he has... find pieces for prices he likes and do his best to find quality and value in the draft. This type of process takes time and hopefully Pace has the time he needs to get pieces in place. I'd really prefer to have mainly homegrown talent and the occasional FA addition when it is supremely needed.

Yes. It takes time, but the reward can be a sustainable consistent playoff team, which I would much prefer over 1-hit wonder teams. I'm giving Pace the benefit of the doubt. Keep repeating drafts like last year and this team will turn out like most of the other perennial playoff teams, usually absent from the first 48 hours of free agency.

[malk]

There's a difference between setting market leading deals for borderline top ten players in their position and giving a top ten player a top five deal (pre contract inflation). There are a few guys we could have signed that wouldn't have been silly free agency contracts.

[Nanky]

There's a difference between setting market leading deals for borderline top ten players in their position and giving a top ten player a top five deal (pre contract inflation). There are a few guys we could have signed that wouldn't have been silly free agency contracts.

Such as??

[Otis Day]

I don't think this has anything to do with FAs not signing. This is a sinking ship and the right money was not offered. Money talks. I would imagine most teams offered more than the Bears. What about this team, outside of money, is a draw?

[malk]

There's a difference between setting market leading deals for borderline top ten players in their position and giving a top ten player a top five deal (pre contract inflation). There are a few guys we could have signed that wouldn't have been silly free agency contracts.

Such as??

Bouye has just signed a five year deal that puts him currently as the 8th highest paid corner in the NFL. That contract, like all contracts, will get cheaper as the years go by and the cap increases. Plus only $26m is guaranteed. Now he may drop off and I haven't seen the full structure of the deal but $13.5m doesn't cripple the cap and if they're sensible the real average should be lower than that with a very cuttable final year, even if he works out.

Olivier Vernon was similar last year, a top edge rusher that year but only one elite season. He's the 2nd highest paid edge rusher with $85m over five years with $40m guaranteed. He has to be elite for that contract to be remotely worth it but even then he'll be close to 10% of the cap throughout the contract and it's pretty much impossible for most players to be worth that. Even in his final year cutting him will result in $10m dead money.

Bad teams make bad deals but that doesn't mean spending in free agency is per se bad.

[britbear]

I don't think this has anything to do with FAs not signing. This is a sinking ship and the right money was not offered. Money talks. I would imagine most teams offered more than the Bears. What about this team, outside of money, is a draw?

I may be looking at this with rose-tinted spectacles, but what about:

- Playing for one of the most storied franchises in American sports history
- Following in the footsteps of some of the greatest names in NFL history
- The fact that this team plays in Chicago, one of the greatest cities in the USA and one that loves its sport

There is more to this team than its records of the last few years.

[wab]

I don't think this has anything to do with FAs not signing. This is a sinking ship and the right money was not offered. Money talks. I would imagine most teams offered more than the Bears. What about this team, outside of money, is a draw?

I may be looking at this with rose-tinted spectacles, but what about:

- Playing for one of the most storied franchises in American sports history
- Following in the footsteps of some of the greatest names in NFL history
- The fact that this team plays in Chicago, one of the greatest cities in the USA and one that loves its sport

There is more to this team than its records of the last few years.

I appreciate the nostalgia, but that's not how the NFL works in the era of free agency.

[britbear]

I didn't say that was how the league works. The point was made that this team has no draw besides money. But I have heard players coming to the Bears and being in awe at Halas Hall and commenting on the privilege of playing for this franchise.

Our team may well suck on the field, but I don't think we should sell them short on their drawing power.

[Otis Day]

I don't think this has anything to do with FAs not signing. This is a sinking ship and the right money was not offered. Money talks. I would imagine most teams offered more than the Bears. What about this team, outside of money, is a draw?

I may be looking at this with rose-tinted spectacles, but what about:

- Playing for one of the most storied franchises in American sports history
- Following in the footsteps of some of the greatest names in NFL history
- The fact that this team plays in Chicago, one of the greatest cities in the USA and one that loves its sport

There is more to this team than its records of the last few years.

If that was the case no FAs would leave right? AJ would have been happy to play here. Did Forte leave happy? Was Briggs happy?

Most of these kids coming out of college and probably a good deal of pro players do not know the histories of most of the NFL teams.

There are also many great sports cities in the US. This has been a dysfunctional franchise for quite awhile.