Tag: 2021 Free Agency

Time is running out for Bears to use franchise tag on Allen Robinson

The Bears are running out of time to ensure Allen Robinson remains in Chicago, be it a long-term extension or with the franchise tag.

When Bears general manager Ryan Pace met with the media last week, he sounded like a man that was committed to keeping star receiver Allen Robinson in Chicago.

Given the Bears and Robinson haven’t had contact discussions since last September, it’s hard to believe that they’re going to suddenly hammer out a new deal anytime soon.

Which is why the assumption is that Chicago is going to place the franchise tag on Robinson. But with the deadline set for Tuesday at 3 p.m CT, the Bears are running out of time to ensure Robinson remains in Chicago — whether that’s with a long-term extension or with the franchise tag.

“We have a ton of respect for Allen,” Pace said. “We have to do what’s best for the Bears too. We consider everything. … No firm decision on that yet, but we know we have it at our disposal. … We want to keep our good players, and Allen is a good player for us.”

If Robinson gets the franchise tag, he would get paid $18 million in 2021. But Robinson has already made his feelings about the franchise tag clear — he believes (and is right) that he deserves a long-term extension.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the league would have to move back Tuesday’s deadline to franchise tag players if the official salary cap number isn’t settled upon soon. Rapoport noted that “it’s a situation several GMs are bracing for and would further stall business for a bit.”

Pace could be waiting to see what happens with the salary cap before using the franchise tag on Robinson. After listening to Pace talk about Robinson’s importance to this team, it’s hard to imagine the Bears letting him walk in free agency.

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Safety market ripe with free agents if Cowboys finally want to invest

With Xavier Woods, Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis all due to hit the open market, a Dallas secondary that struggled in 2020 will surely be looking for depth in both free agency and the draft. The Cowboys seemingly found one starter at safety in …

With Xavier Woods, Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis all due to hit the open market, a Dallas secondary that struggled in 2020 will surely be looking for depth in both free agency and the draft. The Cowboys seemingly found one starter at safety in Donovan Wilson but are losing another with the aforementioned Woods possibly leaving for another team, Dallas will need to find a starter at the other safety spot for 2021.

Luckily for the Cowboys, Pro Football Focus has safety ranked as the strongest position in this years class of free agents. It’s the only position group to earn the grade of an A based on how many players are expected to flood the market next week.

“Safety is without doubt the best position of the free-agent class this year, to the point that it may suppress the market for all of them, at least in terms of how much money they can bank.”

Both points could be important notes for Dallas, as they are not typically big spenders in free agency. The Cowboys might be able to get a bargain deal on a good player. With the hiring of new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the Cowboy’s are expected to shift back to a Cover-3 defense more similar to what they ran under Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard. With players like Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor starting at safety during Quinn’s time in Seattle and spending a first-round pick on Keanu Neal in Atlanta, having solid safety play was seemingly a priority to Quinn.

With Wilson expected to be the starter at SS, here are five options Dallas might consider to play next to him.

Report: Bears will cut ties with RT Bobby Massie

The Bears are expected to decline the option on RT Bobby Massie, making him a free agent and saving them valuable cap space.

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.

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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Report: Deadline may move for Cowboys, Prescott in franchise tag dance

Tuesday’s highly-anticipated deadline may get pushed due to uncertainty over league financials, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

That March 9 deadline that all of Cowboys Nation has been breathlessly waiting on? The one that says the Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott must have a deal in place by… or else use the franchise tag for the second year in a row? The one that, if it passes, is a clear signal to some- and at the very least a frightening step toward the ever-more-likely possibility- that the team won’t have Prescott’s services after the 2021 season?

That hard and fast deadline of Tuesday afternoon? Yeah, turns out it might not be the deadline after all.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapaport is reporting that the franchise tag deadline could now be pushed due to uncertainty about the league’s official salary cap number. He adds that several general managers around the league are already “bracing” for that possibility.

Jerry Jones would certainly be one of them.

The cap won’t be any lower than $180 million; that much is known. But how close the actual cap is to that number is still in flux. That difference matters greatly to teams in determining their financial flexibility down to the penny this coming season.

“If the official salary cap number doesn’t come today [Monday] and soon,” Rapoport tweeted, “NFL will have to move back the deadline.”

 

A retooled deadline for franchise tagging players would not change the start of the league year, which begins March 17. It would still have to happen before that date.

Prescott and the Cowboys front office would still have to choose one of the following courses of action: hammer out an agreement by the new deadline, use the franchise tag to lock in a 2021 salary for Prescott of $37.7 million (and perhaps buy themselves a little more time to negotiate), or- the completely unthinkable nuclear option- do neither and simply let him leave right now as a free agent.

Pushing Tuesday’s deadline wouldn’t change that menu of three options; it would only prolong having to decide which it will be.

“The deadline was also delayed last year,” as noted by Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith, “as teams were given an extra four days to decide after the NFL Players Association pushed back its deadline for players to vote on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.”

Some are pointing to Jerry and Stephen Jones’s long-standing mantra that “Deadlines make deals.” Both the Joneses and Prescott have said publicly that they want No. 4 to remain the team’s quarterback. That’s cause for optimism, despite this dance having already gone on for two calendar years.

Some, though, including ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, think the die has been cast… and he’s predicting massive aftershocks around the NFL.

“I do believe they’re going to tag him,” the former quarterback said on the network’s Get Up. “When they tag him, two things. They’re going to stink this year, because their salary cap- like everyone has pointed out- is going to be so chewed up by that [$37.7 million] number. And two, this will be Dak’s last year in Dallas. He will no longer be the Cowboys’ quarterback moving forward after this season. And then the last thing that would stand out to me is that next offseason would be pandemonium. We’ve seen teams in the NFL kind of tank, or front offices tank, to acquire draft picks. I think we would see teams and front offices try and tank, so to speak, to create cap space, almost like sometimes we see in the NBA- just unload contracts- for the bidding war of Dak Prescott next year.”

Just to be clear, the Cowboys would not be in any way the beneficiary of that particular leaguewide pandemonium. It would be teams lining up to court Prescott, and the Cowboys playing the role of the chumps who let him walk.

For now, though, the eyes of everyone around the league remain locked squarely on The Star, just the way the Joneses like it. And if Rapoport is right, they’re about to get a few extra days of it.

Cowboys fans can only hope they use it wisely.

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Bears 2021 free agency preview: Will Chicago bring back Sherrick McManis?

Sherrick McManis has been one of the NFL’s most dependable special teamers and provided valuable depth at DB. Will Chicago bring him back?

Sherrick McManis has been with the Chicago Bears for the last nine years, where he’s been one of the NFL’s most dependable special teams players and provided valuable depth at defensive back. With McManis once again a free agent, will Chicago once again lock him up to an affordable one-year deal?

Looking ahead to free agency, we’re breaking down every Bears free agent’s 2020 season, including the team’s need at the position and predicting whether they stay or go in free agency.

After looking at wide receiver Allen Robinson, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris, kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson, kicker Cairo Santos, safety Tashaun Gipson, defensive end Brent Urban, offensive lineman Germain Ifedi, safety Deon Bush, defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., safety DeAndre Houston-Carson, punter Pat O’Donnell, outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo and nose tackle John Jenkins we’re continuing with McManis.

7 predictions on the Chicago Bears and free agency

As the Bears head into free agency, we’re predicting expected cuts, re-signings and a predictable move with WR Allen Robinson.

We’re less than two weeks from the start of free agency, and the Chicago Bears have been pretty quiet ahead of the new league year. Chicago has 30 players that are free agents this offseason, and aside from re-signing some exclusive rights free agents, they haven’t made any other moves to bring back some key pieces.

With the salary cap set to challenge general manager Ryan Pace, there are certainly plenty of moves to expect to see over the next couple of weeks. Chicago already released cornerback Buster Skrine to save $2.7 million in cap space, and there should be plenty more cuts and even contract restructures along the way.

Here are seven predictions for the Bears heading into free agency, including expected cuts and re-signings, as well as a predictable move with receiver Allen Robinson.

Bears 2021 free agency preview: Should Chicago bring back John Jenkins?

The Bears signed John Jenkins to fill the void left by Eddie Goldman at nose tackle. But with Goldman returning, what happens with Jenkins?

Arguably the biggest loss for the Chicago Bears last season was Eddie Goldman’s absence, which left Chicago without a nose tackle. The Bears brought back a familiar face in John Jenkins, who played a lot of nose tackle alongside Bilal Nichols. Chicago let Jenkins leave in free agency back in 2017, and now they face a similar situation following his one-year stint with the team last year.

Looking ahead to free agency, we’re breaking down every Bears free agent’s 2020 season, including the team’s need at the position and predicting whether they stay or go in free agency.

After looking at wide receiver Allen Robinson, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris, kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson, kicker Cairo Santos, safety Tashaun Gipson, defensive end Brent Urban, offensive lineman Germain Ifedi, safety Deon Bush, defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., safety DeAndre Houston-Carson, punter Pat O’Donnell, and outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo, we’re continuing with Jenkins.

Report: Vikings ‘definitely want to bring back’ RB Mike Boone

Do you want the Minnesota Vikings to bring back RB Mike Boone this offseason? He is set to be a restricted free agent in 2021

The Vikings will have some tough decisions to make in free agency.

Minnesota will have trouble keeping a few of its top free agents. However, the Vikings also have restricted free agents who, for the most part, will be easier to keep around.

Mike Boone is one of those players due to be a restricted free agent. Boone has been a reserve running back on the Vikings in all of his three NFL seasons. Alexander Mattison typically gets more carries when both are healthy and Dalvin Cook is the definitive starter. However, Boone can still contribute.

Minnesota appears to want to keep Boone this offseason, according to a report. Per the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, the Vikings “definitely want to bring back” Boone.

Personally I don’t think Boone is worth a tender, especially with the depth the team already has at running back. That said, he would be a useful player to keep around. You can see what Vikings Wire said about all of Minnesota’s players who are set to be restricted free agents here.

Report: DE Stephen Weatherly signing with Vikings

Guess who’s reportedly back? Former Minnesota Vikings DE Stephen Weatherly.

Towards the end of his Vikings career, Stephen Weatherly was a useful reserve for a good pass rush.

Weatherly had two consecutive seasons with three sacks — 2018 and 2019. Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen were the main options on the edge, but Weatherly and Ifeadi Odenigbo made it so offensive linemen couldn’t ease up in the absence of a starter.

In 2020, Weatherly ended up signing with the Panthers in free agency, and Minnesota struggled to replace him, Griffen and Hunter. The Vikings pass rush was ranked dead last by PFF.

So it’s not a bad idea for Minnesota to go and re-sign Weatherly and that’s what it did, according to multiple reports and a post Weatherly had on social media.

Weatherly ideally won’t be a starter, but he is solid depth. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported that it’s a one-year deal.

Weatherly had a chance at a bigger role in Carolina, but it didn’t pan out. Now, he has an opportunity to prove he can still provide pressure. He gets to try and do that with the team that drafted him, too.

5 quarterbacks the Bears could realistically pursue in free agency

Here are five NFL free-agent quarterbacks who the Bears could pursue in 2021 NFL free agency

The 2021 NFL free agency period will officially get underway on March 17, with two days of legal tampering kicking off on March 15.

The Chicago Bears are expected to make a significant move at quarterback over the next two months, and free agency will provide them with their first chance at upgrading the game’s most important position.

But if we look at this year’s free-agent quarterback market through a realistic lens, are there any viable options who’d qualify as an upgrade over Nick Foles?

Here are five free-agent quarterbacks that the Bears will have the most realistic chance of signing. You can be the judge as to whether any of them are worth pursuing.

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