Another Chicago Bears player is set to be released as we inch closer to the start of the new league year.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears are expected to decline the option on offensive tackle Bobby Massie, making him a free agent and saving them over $5 million in salary cap space.
The #Bears are not likely to exercise the option on OT Bobby Massie’s contract, another casualty of the cap crunch, source said. He’ll be a FA, saving them more than $5M vs. the cap & putting a starting caliber tackle on the market in a year when OTs are more valuable than ever.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2021
Massie joins cornerback Buster Skrine as the other starting player to be released in an effort for the Bears to clear cap space.
The veteran right tackle joined the Bears as a free agent in 2016, signing a three-year contract after being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2012. As he steadily improved over the course of his contract, Massie signed an extension following the 2018 season, re-upping with the Bears for another four years, earning $14 million guaranteed.
Injuries would plague him over the last two seasons, however, as he missed 14 regular season games with ankle and knee issues. His last game as a Bear was in week eight against the New Orleans Saints.
The 31-year old offensive lineman now joins a crowded free agent pool and the Bears have an opening at their right tackle position heading into the start of the new league year.
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