Saints sign Cameron Meredith to offer sheet
The New Orleans Saints signed wide receiver Cameron Meredith to a two-year offer sheet. Will the Chicago Bears match?
The offseason has been a very quiet time for Chicago Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith. Coming off of an ugly season ending surgery, the team placed a tender on him.
While it was not an original round tender, the team knew that if any other team would sign him, they would have 48 hours to match. Through the first wave of free agency,he was not getting any talk. However, the Saints announced that they signed him to a tender today.
Saints are signing Bears’ restricted free-agent WR Cameron Meredith to an offer sheet, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2018
Saints’ WR coach Curtis Johnson is the former Bears’ WR coach, and knows Meredith well.
Cameron Meredith now becomes the second Bear this off-season to sign an offer sheet with another team. Earlier, CB Kyle Fuller signed an offer sheet with the Packers that the Bears matched.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2018
Terms update: Saints signing Bears’ RFA WR Cameron Meredith to a 2-year offer sheet, per source. Expecting money to be about $5 million per year - 2 years, roughly $10 million.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2018
Based on the terms of the deal, it would be hard to think the Bears would not match. It is an affordable price, and while they likely would have rather given him a one-year, the cheap worth of the second year makes it worth the risk.
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It is likely that the second year meant something to Meredith due to health concerns. However, the Bears were in a position of leverage where they would not have to give it. So, they let Cameron Meredith test the market to see if any team could give him the second season.
The New Orleans Saints did, and now, unless the Bears are completely out on Meredith, they will sign him to that two year deal.
Leave it to the New Orleans Saints to make the signing though. Of course, Ryan Pace came from New Orleans and has ties throughout the building. As mentioned, Meredith also is familiar with their current receivers coach. There was even talk that the Saints offensive coordinator could be in the running for the Bears head coaching job.
The Saints helped and hurt Pace today. They gave Meredith a second year under contract, something Pace may not have wanted. However, they also sped up the process, and gave Meredith a team friendly second season that Pace would be almost crazy not to match.