Tag: 2021 offseason

Jay Rodgers, Sean Desai are the top in-house candidates for Bears defensive coordinator

With the Bears in market for a new defensive coordinator, there are two internal coaches that are favorites to land the gig.

The Chicago Bears are on the market for a new defensive coordinator following the retirement of Chuck Pagano, who served in the role for the previous two seasons.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapport, the top internal candidates for defensive coordinator are defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and safeties coach Sean Desai.

Rapoport also noted that Rodgers, whose contract with the Bears expires next week, is expected to receive defensive coordinator interest from around the league as head coach spots are filled.

Rodgers has served as the Bears defensive line coach for the last six seasons, and he’s a rollover from the John Fox era. It’s easy to see why given the defensive line has been one of Chicago’s best units during that span.

Desai is one of former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s guys. The Bears blocked Fangio from taking Desai to Denver, according to Brad Biggs. Desai is familiar with the scheme and this roster of players, and like Rodgers, he could be an up-and-coming defensive coordinator.

[listicle id=466193]

 

Bears QB odds for 2021 look promising for those who want change

The Chicago Bears have high odds to have a different starting quarterback next season, someone outside of the current quarterback room.

After 4 years in the Mitchell Trubisky era, it looks like the Chicago Bears will part ways with him during the offseason. During an end-of-year press conference this week with Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy, they expressed how the quarterback play was a key factor to the lack of success this season. Instead of putting blame on Coach Nagy or Nick Foles, who was 2-5 as a starter, most of the blame fell on Trubisky’s shoulders.

Later on in the week, George McCaskey had this to say about Trubisky:

“He’s an outstanding young man. His teammates loves him. He works his butt off. He loves the game of football. Off the field, he was outstanding as a representative of the Bears.”

For starters, if the Bears cannot find another quarterback during the offseason, they could find themselves in some trouble. I’m sure Trubisky and his agent watched what Nagy and Pace had to say this past week. Neither one of them have to be happy after hearing what the team had to say.

Trubisky’s teammate Cordarrelle Patterson has called for Deshaun Watson to come to Chicago on Twitter. This is something Patterson did last season, tweeting at players asking them to come to Chicago. This time, it’s a quarterback. So much for Patterson having Trubisky’s back.

During the last three seasons, Trubisky has taken blame for every loss. For every win during the last three years was because of how well the defense played. There’s been a lack of appreciation for him. I guess a 25-13 record with two playoff appearances wasn’t good enough.

Going forward, it looks like the Bears will make a change at quarterback. According to FanDuel, Trubisky has -225 odds of playing for a new team next season. Teams brought up in that same article were the Jets, Patriots, and Washington.

SportsLine has different odds for the quarterback position. According to them, the Bears Week 1 starter will be:

  • A current NFL QB via trade or a free agent -200
  • Nick Foles +300
  • 2021 NFL Draft pick +750
  • Mitchell Trubisky +1000

It seems like fans are split on social media. A lot of them are looking for a change, some of them want Trubisky back as a bridge quarterback and another group wants him back, but without Nagy as his coach.

The Bears are also in the Watson sweepstakes. They have the fifth best odds to land him (+550), with the Texans having the best, as he is already on their team.

Fans will have more of an idea after the Super Bowl. Here’s the official offseason schedule for the NFL.

[listicle id=466221]

 

Roy Robertson-Harris appears to be moving on from the Bears this offseason

DE Roy Robertson-Harris seems ready to pick a new team when free agency begins after 4 years with the Bears.

The Chicago Bears are only a few days into their offseason following their 21-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card playoffs, but it appears one player is already planning to move on when the new league year begins.

Defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris, an impending free agent after playing four years in the navy and orange, seems ready to pick a new team when free agency begins.

His wife, Krystal Robertson-Harris, recently made a post on Instagram with photos and videos of her husband in uniform, as well as backdrops of the city of Chicago. The caption reads:

“CHICAGO!!!!! Man ima miss you! So many memories. Such a bittersweet feeling. Thank you to all the bears fans ya’ll [expletive] rock! Ya’ll will be missed #beardown”

While she doesn’t come out and say it, the message seems pretty clear that Robertson-Harris will not be re-signing with the Bears this offseason.

The former UTEP Miner signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, but didn’t see the field until 2017 due to ending up on the reserve/non-football injury list. In 2017, Robertson-Harris registered two sacks for the Bears in 13 games. He saw more playing time as the seasons passed, becoming a key member of the team’s defensive line rotation. While he was an exclusive-rights and restricted free agent following the 2018 and 2019 seasons respectively, he signed his tender to remain with the Bears each time.

He started six games and played in eight this past season, before he wound up needing shoulder surgery and landing on injured reserve. The 27-year old finished the season with 10 tackles, five quarterback hits, and no sacks.

[listicle id=466266]

 

Washington GM Tracker: A list of executives interviewing for top job in D.C.

Washington is on the hunt for a new general manager, so here is an up-to-date list tracking those who have or will be interviewed for the position.

After coming off of an offseason in 2020 where the Washington Football Team completely upended their coaching staff and brought in a whole host of new blood into the team headquarters, things are much quieter this time around in D.C. However, Washington is in search of a new executive that can fill the place of General Manager, helping to take some of the front-office work off of Ron Rivera’s plate and help further the success starting to form in Washington.

There are a number of candidates that have already emerged, and the coming and days and weeks will surely bring more. At the moment, here is a list of people who either have or will be interviewed for the GM spot in Washington.

Can someone tell Bears brass that winning contributes to a successful football culture?

Winning is the most important thing in running a successful franchise. Something the Bears haven’t done on a consistent basis for decades.

[jwplayer hXjRgQld-ThvAeFxT]

The Chicago Bears have made the decision to retain general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy, a decision that was not met with approval from Bears fans.

Simply because they haven’t gotten the job done. And, usually, when you don’t do your job, well, you get fired.

But Chairman George McCaskey and President and CEO Ted Phillips made it clear that they don’t care what the fans have to say — Pace and Nagy are here to stay, mostly because they like them as people.

That’s right, the owner and head of football operations are keeping around a general manager and head coach, that would’ve likely been fired by another organization, around for another year because they respect them as people.

Which, don’t get me wrong, is important. But you want to know what’s more important when it comes to running an NFL franchise? Winning. Something that the Bears haven’t managed to do on a consistent basis for decades.

Their last championship came before their current roster of players were even born, and they’ve only made the playoffs three of the last 10 years, the previous two including early exits in the wild-card round.

But focusing on the current regime, Pace and Nagy haven’t gotten it done — Pace in six years, Nagy in three and Phillips in 21. Pace whiffed on drafting a franchise quarterback and a slew of other mistakes that have him to a 42-54 record. Nagy was brought in to revive this offense, when it’s at times looked worse than the John Fox era. Phillips has overseen football operations for the last couple of decades, where the Bears have made the postseason six times (with a 3-6 record) and eight double-digit loss seasons.

And yet, there has been no accountability. When McCaskey had an opportunity to send a message that losing isn’t acceptable, he kept around the very people that have contributed to that culture — and it’s not a winning one nor one that other franchises strive for, as Phillips continues to tell himself.

McCaskey and Phillips remain content with mediocrity, which would make Papa Bear himself George Halas roll over in his grave.

[listicle id=466157]

 

Breaking down contract statuses at every position for Bears’ 2021 offseason

With Chicago’s offseason in full swing, we decided to take a look at the current contract status at every position.

The Chicago Bears concluded their 2020 season at 8-9, which included a wild-card playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Now, the attention turns to the offseason, where general manager Ryan Pace will have plenty of work to do and not a whole lot of cap space to do it with — at least at the moment. The Bears are roughly $185,755 over the salary cap, which factors in the likely salary cap decrease following a COVID-19 season.

With the offseason in full swing, we decided to take a look at the current contract status at every position.

For note: Those listed that still have time left on their contracts could be released or traded during the offseason, and some could sign extensions.

This list also includes players entering free agency and those on injured reserve, although not the practice squad.

Here’s a key:

  • UFA – Unrestricted free agent
  • RFA – Restricted free agent
  • ERFA – Exclusive Rights Free Agent
  • CO – Club option
  • Ages are as of Sept. 1, 2021

*Cap numbers courtesy of Spotrac

2021 Offseason dates and deadlines to know for the Washington Football Team

With no Washington games to keep our calendars straight, these are some dates to keep in mind as we enter the offseason.

With football no longer marking our calendars on every Sunday, it’s easy to get lost as a fan of the NFL, with a number of dates over the next several months that have some major ramifications for teams in the offseason. Whether it’s a deadline to place the franchise tag on a player, or the start of free agency, there are always a handful of dates that any fan is going to want to remember.

Last year’s offseason schedule was thrown out the window quickly when it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic was going to wreak havoc on the league and turn our world upside down. We can hope that something unexpected doesn’t happen once again.

The league has only announced its schedule through the 2021 NFL Draft in April. This schedule will be updated as more information is released. 

ESPN lists Vikings’ biggest offseason priority

For the Minnesota Vikings, which offseason need do you think is the most pressing for the team?

The Vikings’ postseason hopes came to an end down the stretch of the 2020 season and there was a familiar theme in the losses: The team was dominated in the trenches.

It didn’t matter which side of the ball, Minnesota’s linemen did not look good. The Vikings gave up way too much pressure on the interior of the offensive line. On defense, Minnesota was unable to get much going in the pass rush this year, tallying the fifth fewest sacks in the league.

ESPN thinks it’s time for a change. The outlet named an offseason priority for each NFL team and the Vikings’ adjustment was to add help in the trenches. Here’s what ESPN’s Courtney Cronin said about her choice:

“Some will argue that getting pass-rushers is priority No. 1. Others will say the need for a high-quality guard is most important. Either way, the Vikings need to focus their efforts in free agency (once they make moves to free up cap space) and the draft in shoring up both their defensive and offensive lines. Minnesota generated a franchise-low 23 sacks this year while members of the interior of the O-line were responsible for 20 of the 39 sacks that quarterback Kirk Cousins took in 2020.”

The Vikings should upgrade at the left guard position. Minnesota gets Danielle Hunter and Michael Pierce on the defensive line in 2020, barring anything unexpected. However, that unit will probably need additional players in free agency or the draft in order to improve.

21 quarterbacks who could realistically start for Washington in 2021

We don’t know who is going to be the starting QB for Washington in 2021, but here is a long list of players that have at least an outside chance of being the guy.

If there’s one thing that the Washington Football Team absolutely needs to address this offseason, it’s finding an answer at the quarterback position. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to find their man for the next decade, but at the very least, Ron Rivera and his staff have to nail down someone with who they feel comfortable for at least the next 3-4 years.

There are several ways that they can do this: via the NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, or a potential trade this offseason. Some routes are riskier than others, and some avenues have more options as well.

As we get set for the 2021 offseason to begin, here is a wide-ranging list of 21 players who have at the very least an outside chance of playing for Washington next season.

Alex Smith remains uncertain about whether to play or retire in 2021

The season didn’t end how Smith wanted it to, but not even the QB knows if that’s reason enough to lace his cleats up and try it all again next year, or retire instead.

The 2020 season didn’t end the way that Washington quarterback Alex Smith wanted it to, with him standing on the sidelines in street clothes while his team lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. But that doesn’t take anything away from the miraculous comeback he made to even get on the field this season.

After overcoming everything that he did in the past two years following a devastating leg injury in 2018, it’s fair to wonder what the end goal for Smith is. He got back on the field this year and played some really good, meaningful football, leading his team to a playoff berth. It could have ended differently, but the question remains: Is there more to accomplish for Smith before he hangs up his cleats and sends his leg brace off to the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

That’s a question that Smith doesn’t have the answer to at the moment. Hearing him talk, he clearly sounds like a man who wants to keep playing the game, which comes as no surprise. You have to be driven and a little bit crazy to come back from an injury like his. However, he also seems to know the stress it brings to his family, going out there and putting his health in danger week in and week out. As fans of the team, we all know the anxiety we feel when watching a pocket close around Smith, so imagine how his wife feels watching that with the memory of him going down years ago.

We can debate this all we want, but there are some players in the Washington locker room who feel like they know the answer already.

If we know Alex, then he’s going to give it another shot. However, the wife’s word carries a whole lot of weight, and what she says usually goes. We’ll see how things shake out of the next few weeks, but at the moment, whether or not Smith plays in 2021 is completely up in the air.

[vertical-gallery id=46042]