You heard head coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace talk about working with Kyle Fuller. But, after a season in which he was accused of not being motivated to get over his injury and get on the field, it’s possible the Bears could let him walk. Nothing is ever set in stone in football.
Fuller had been healthy up until he suffered the knee injury and needed it cleaned up. He came to Chicago in 2014 as their first-round pick and had an instant impact. He played in all 16 games that year with 14 starts. In 2015 he played in and started all 16 games.
The word on Fuller’s injury was that it was a minor knee issue and that he had a procedure to clean a few things up. His desire to get on the field was questioned by Vic Fangio at the time he was eligible to come off injured reserve. This forced some to question his desire to get on the field and play. It has caused some to wonder if he should even be on the team in 2017.
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When it comes to money, Fuller earned $2,641,910 in 2016. That included a base salary of $1,300,637 with a signing bonus of $1,341,273 for a total of $2,641,910. In 2017, he is scheduled to make $,1740,955 as a base salary with a signing bonus of $1,341,273 throw in there. His combined salary is going to be $3,082,228.
If the Bears were to let Fuller go this off-season, they would be left with $3,082,228 in dead cap money. That would hurt. The ideal thing for them to do would be to find someone to take Fuller off their hands in a trade. This would not only help them get something back but move that money to another team. A trade is clearly the ideal scenario.
The whole thing with Fuller is strange and the Bears don’t need the drama. Let them find a willing trade partner and get Fuller off the roster. He has become unreliable and the Bears need a player they can rely on.