Bears Free Agency Recap - Day 1

[wab]

So, there's been a lot of hand wringing over today's activity. I thought I'd recap today in order to make everyone feel a little better.

1 - Bears sign 27yr old career backup, who might be Matt Ryan...but probably isn't, to 45 million dollar contract.
2 - Bears miss out on top 2 corners and top 2 OTs.
3 - Bears sign 32 year old safety, who in fairness doesn't have that many NFL years on his body.
3 - Bears cut all time leading passer.
4 - Bears top WR signs a middle finger deal with another team.
5 - Bears sign blocking TE.


Shit. That didn't help at all.

Here's looking forward to day 2.

[RING4CHI]

Adam Schefter: Lions reached agreement with DL Cornelius Washington, per source.

[wab]

Adam Schefter: Lions reached agreement with DL Cornelius Washington, per source.

[malk]

Why hasn't the Glennon deal been announced?

[RING4CHI]

Why hasn't the Glennon deal been announced?

Because it's not happening.

*fingers crossed*

[UOK]

Why hasn't the Glennon deal been announced?

Because they're reworking his contract to pay him $60 million per season instead of $14.5.

[mmmc_35]

Reports are the Bears where essentially bidding against themselves fire Glennon. So at least three is that.

[malk]

Reports are the Bears where essentially bidding against themselves fire Glennon. So at least three is that.

Good Pace bad Pace bidding against each other?

[wab]

I posted this clearly in jest... but one positive that I'll take away from today is that Pace is committed to not writing a bunch of bad contracts. He made his offers and stuck to them...I guess that's all you can really do.

[malk]

I posted this clearly in jest... but one positive that I'll take away from today is that Pace is committed to not writing a bunch of bad contracts. He made his offers and stuck to them...I guess that's all you can really do.

That's his weird ideological purity coming through again though. Free agent signings get a bad rap because bad teams do them badly. You've got to use the cap somehow so, for example, if we end up with loads left after this free agency it would have been better to pick one of the top guys and give them a pile of cash in year one. Say Bouye, give him $25-30m in year one, guaranteed and then reap the benefits in the future.

Signing players to contracts where they have to be elite for the whole guaranteed period, normally the first three years, is a terrible risk. There are however better ways of doing it.

[VA_Mountain_Bear]

The only speculation I can make about today that brings any sense to the steaming turd of FA day 1 is perhaps they are looking to extend some of our own and are looking to rollover as much cap $ as possible for the FA class next year. A shitty strategy in my opinion, but it could be a strategy. Otherwise Pace/Fox just got punked today when they had a chance to improve the team and refused to move with the market.

[malk]

I guess with the amount you can roll over it isn't a bad idea to see what you've got with a new QB before committing to free agents. That'd be much more compatible with a rookie QB than Longneck the Red though.

[malk]

[video][/video]

[Mikefive]

I posted this clearly in jest... but one positive that I'll take away from today is that Pace is committed to not writing a bunch of bad contracts. He made his offers and stuck to them...I guess that's all you can really do.

There's something to be said for not paying more than an asset is worth to you. Of course, if you've misread the market and you end up with nobody left to spend your money on, then that could be bad. I'm not saying I've passed that judgement, but based on how today went, its possible.

Just have to wait and see how it plays out. Tough day though.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

I just feel like we have been gutted today. Our team got demonstrably worse today. As of right now, before the draft, I'm not sure how we win more games next year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wab]

I think the Bears are counting on health.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

I have a theory. Its the only ounce of a positive out look I can put on today.

McCaskey has finally come to the conclusion that this whole shit show has to be blown up. He finally reached that point, or Pace finally got him there. There were a lot of big contracts coming to an end this year, and we have a high draft pick. With McCaskey's blessing, Pace is tearing this roster to the ground. He's tearing it down and its gonna take two years. That's why you have Glennon on what is a two year deal. Its why you aren't making big splashes in FA. You aren't offering a lot, because you don't want to overpay for what will end up being stopgaps in the rebuild. The shitty part of it is, that McCaskey does not trust this meatball fanbase to understand, so he has not allowed anyone in the organization to come out and say the term 're-build'. So we are left to wonder what the fuck is going on.

I got to this conclusion because I had to accept the fact that Pace is not this inept. That the Bears had not sunk so low yet, that NO ONE of any substance wanted to play for them. That McCaskey was fucking tired of the Packers making deep runs into the playoffs every year, while we stand around with our thumbs up our asses. He's tired of it. He's watched the Blackhawks and the Cubs have sustained, championship winning success by doing this, and he's decided that its time. The Cubs winning the World Series last year was the last straw. My guess is that we will not have a winning record again until 2019.

Get comfortable boys and girls, this is going to be a rough stretch as a fan.

[IotaNet]

I have a theory. Its the only ounce of a positive out look I can put on today.

McCaskey has finally come to the conclusion that this whole shit show has to be blown up. He finally reached that point, or Pace finally got him there. There were a lot of big contracts coming to an end this year, and we have a high draft pick. With McCaskey's blessing, Pace is tearing this roster to the ground. He's tearing it down and its gonna take two years. That's why you have Glennon on what is a two year deal. Its why you aren't making big splashes in FA. You aren't offering a lot, because you don't want to overpay for what will end up being stopgaps in the rebuild. The shitty part of it is, that McCaskey does not trust this meatball fanbase to understand, so he has not allowed anyone in the organization to come out and say the term 're-build'. So we are left to wonder what the fuck is going on.

I got to this conclusion because I had to accept the fact that Pace is not this inept. That the Bears had not sunk so low yet, that NO ONE of any substance wanted to play for them. That McCaskey was fucking tired of the Packers making deep runs into the playoffs every year, while we stand around with our thumbs up our asses. He's tired of it. He's watched the Blackhawks and the Cubs have sustained, championship winning success by doing this, and he's decided that its time. The Cubs winning the World Series last year was the last straw. My guess is that we will not have a winning record again until 2019.

Get comfortable boys and girls, this is going to be a rough stretch as a fan.

Interesting theory and I don't totally disagree. Honestly, I won't hate is so much IF its articulated as a real, concrete PLAN. To your point -- both the Cubs and the Blackhawks told everybody upfront what they were doing so the fanbases gave them some leeway.

For what its worth, I think that *I* would be better able to swallow it if they got rid of Fox and hired an up-and-coming young coach (a la Shanahan, Gase, or Quinn) to lead the on-field aspects of the rebuild. I'm personally starting to see Fox as a past-his-prime retread and I'd rather see a different face of the franchise.

[Bears_40]

Could be players prefer to be elsewhere than with the $hit show that we've become.

[Funkster]

This isn't Madden.

Good teams are typically silent during free agency. Good GM's build through the draft. If you want long term success, you must trust the process!


I think this brings us up to date.

Bears free agency day 1 recap.
Released QB Jay Cutler
Lost QB Brain Hoyer to 49ers
Lost WR Alshon Jeffery to Eagles
Lost G Ted Larson to Dolphins
Lost DE Cornelius Washington to Lions
Signed QB Mike Glennon (not official)
Signed SS Qutintin Demps
Signed WR Marcus Wheaton
Signed TE Dion Sims

[mmmc_35]

Good teams are typically silent during free agency. Good GM's build through the draft. If you want long term success, you must trust the process!

Maybe "typically", but not always. Hell the Patriots often sign a lot of FA, and some bigger ones too.

Realistically when your team is bad you need to supplement the talent any way possible. Drafting can get you 3-5 quality players a year max. It ends up being 2-3. The Bears are a 3 win team. They need lots of talent and can't over look the FA, especially with yheir cap health.

[Funkster]

Pats typically sign other teams problems or older players looking for a ring. They can do this because they have built through the draft and have groomed key players. They are not in a rebuild ultimately allowing them to add a player here or there.

I would have liked to see the bears sign one of the big name CB's. I'm a little disappointed they didn't. However, this draft is filled with quality DB's. It's just day one and I still believe Pace has something up his sleeve.

[Funkster]

*update Barkley to Niners.

Bears free agency day 1 recap.
Released QB Jay Cutler
Lost QB Brain Hoyer to 49ers
Lost QB Matt Barkley to 49ers
Lost WR Alshon Jeffery to Eagles
Lost G Ted Larson to Dolphins
Lost DE Cornelius Washington to Lions
Signed QB Mike Glennon (not official)
Signed SS Qutintin Demps
Signed WR Marcus Wheaton
Signed TE Dion Sims

[bearsfaninaz]

Maybe we'll finally get a comp pick next year

[DaSuperfan]

Looks like Logan Ryan to the Titans.

[malk]

So Kyle Fuller eh... Who else?

I don't buy that players are refusing to come here for football reasons. Players go to bad teams all the time. Pace isn't overpaying at all it seems, bar for Glennon which he clearly assesses differently (and lets see the actual contract fiest).

I don't think it's a good strategy but it's more likely than a conspiracy theory.

[RING4CHI]

Good teams are typically silent during free agency. Good GM's build through the draft. If you want long term success, you must trust the process!

Yeah...about that...

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Good teams are typically silent during free agency. Good GM's build through the draft. If you want long term success, you must trust the process!

Yeah...about that...

So is this just Pace sweeping away the crap from the last decade?

[Funkster]

* update Logan Paulsen to 49ers
*update Prince Prince Amukamara to Bears

Bears free agency tracker
Released QB Jay Cutler
Lost QB Brain Hoyer to 49ers
Lost QB Matt Barkley to 49ers
Lost WR Alshon Jeffery to Eagles
Lost G Ted Larson to Dolphins
Lost TE Logan Paulsen to 49ers
Lost DE Cornelius Washington to Lions
Signed QB Mike Glennon (not official)
Signed SS Qutintin Demps
Signed WR Marcus Wheaton
Signed TE Dion Sims
Signed CB Prince Amukamara

[Boris13c]

to keep from going off on an obscenity laden rant, I will simply say Day 1 of 2017 NFL Free Agency did not go anywhere close to the way I had hoped/envisioned