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Chicago Bears Sign RFA TE Josh Hill to Offer Sheet

By Bill Zimmerman

Nov 8, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Josh Hill (89) runs after a catch for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Titans defeated the Saints 34-28 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Josh Hill (89) runs after a catch for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Titans defeated the Saints 34-28 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace continues to stay active in free agency. Today, the Bears signed New Orleans Saints Tight End Josh Hill to an offer sheet for a three-year contract.

Hill is a restricted free agent, which, as Biggs mentions in his tweet, gives the Saints 5 days to match the offer to retain Hill. Pace is very intelligent in how he approaches free agency, and odds are the Saints will decline to match and let Hill walk.

Pace looks at teams that are in serious cap trouble and tries to lure free agents that won’t be able to get a decent salary from their former team. That’s exactly how he landed Pernell McPhee from the Baltimore Ravens last year and how he landed Danny Trevathan from the Denver Broncos this year.

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The Saints have similar issues. Drew Brees makes an astronomical amount (understandably), but he seems unwilling to rework his contract, and as long as Brees is on the salary cap for his current number ($30 million in 2016), the Saints are going to have trouble. According to Biggs, the offer from Chicago is nearly $2 million per season, which is strategic considering the Saints only have $1.3 million in available cap space.

Hill has underperformed in his career with New Orleans, which makes it even more unlikely that the Saints will match. Many expected a breakout season from Hill in 2015 (including the Saints) after they sent Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately for New Orleans, Hill only netted 16 catches for 120 yards and 2 scores. It was Benjamin Watson who emerged and became a reliable target for Brees while Hill remained in sub-packages.

The Bears don’t have different expectations for Hill. The Bears have every intention of heading into 2016 with Zach Miller as their TE1 but expect Hill to fill in nicely as their TE2 and also give them a reliable player that can capably fill-in if Miller goes down with an injury. Hill is only 25, and Pace knows him well from his days in New Orleans. The Bears will hope that a new situation could spark Hill’s career.

This is the time during free agency where Pace excels. Last year he found very capable starters in Jarvis Jenkins and Tracy Porter and signings like Hill can give the team valuable depth as they look to strengthen the roster. You can expect Pace to be active over the next week or so as he fills out the depth chart. Hill is a smart, low risk signing (don’t expect much in guaranteed money), and the type of signing we’ve come to expect from Pace over his first two offseasons. For now, the Bears will have to wait five days and see if the Saints match the offer, but odds are Josh Hill is coming to Chicago.

Bill Zimmerman is an editor and featured writer for FanSided‘s BearGogglesOn. Like his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter for more news and interaction.

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