While Bears general manager Ryan Pace has caught some flack for some of his free agent signings, and rightfully so, there have been some moves that have been absolute hits for the Bears.
ESPN recently discussed some of the best and worst free agent signings for each team dating back to 2015. There’s a few that jump to mind when discussing the Bears, but ultimately Jeff Dickerson landed at receiver Allen Robinson, who has been an absolute stud in his two years in Chicago.
He already outperformed the three-year, $42 million deal he signed with Chicago. Robinson led the Bears with 98 catches for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns last year — quite an accomplishment on a team that ranked 29th in total offense and 25th in passing offense. Robinson also posted decent numbers in 2018 (55-754-4) while still recovering from the nasty knee injury he suffered in Jacksonville. Robinson seems a logical candidate to receive an extension from the Bears in the near future.
While Robinson has proven to be an absolute home run with the Bears, you could argue that defensive tackle Akiem Hicks has been Pace’s best free agent signing. Hicks is an absolute monster in the middle of that defense, and he played through his initial contract to earn a well-deserved extension in 2017.
As for the Bears’ worst free agent signing of the last five years, the 18.5-million dollar man Mike Glennon takes the cake.
Yikes. The Bears paid Glennon $18.5 million for four starts in 2017. Chicago intended for Glennon to start the entire year so the club could groom second overall pick Mitchell Trubisky. The plan completely backfired. Everyone lost, except Glennon, who walked away with a small fortune courtesy of the Bears.
With free agency just days away, all eyes will be on Pace and what free-agent moves he has up his sleeve for 2020. Hopefully, they fall on the Robinson/Hicks end of the spectrum and not the Glennon side.
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