How much is too much for Adrian Amos?
Ryan Pace has put the Chicago Bears in great shape for the next two seasons thanks to the way he has structured contracts. Just about every key player is locked up through 2020 and some of them even further.
Entering this offseason, the Bears had three key free agents: Bobby Massie, Bryce Callahan and Adrian Amos. Every other starter was already locked in for next season. The Bears wasted no time and already inked Massie to a contract extension, solidifying the right side of their offensive line.
There have been multiple reports that the Bears want to keep both Callahan and Amos, but with the need to fix the kicking situation and plenty of sizable contracts on the books already, the Bears only have so much cap space available.
According to one report from a reputable blog, DaBearsBlog, the Bears have been trying to ink Amos to an extension since last summer, but his camp and the Bears’ front office remain far apart.
Bears want Adrian Amos back. Adrian Amos wants to be back. But the two sides view his worth very, very differently. (And I’m told the Amos side has brought the PFF grade up. THAT’s why their ignorance can be an issue.)
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) January 26, 2019
There were plenty of rumblings that the Bears were trying to extend both Eddie Goldman and Amos last summer. When the Goldman extension hit, most expected Amos to follow shortly after, but that never came.
If, as DaBearsBlog has mentioned, Amos is using his PFF grade as leverage for a higher contract, the Bears will not be inking Amos to a deal prior to free agency.
In this case, the Bears should focus on extending Bryce Callahan and let Amos test the free agent market. If Amos sees himself as an elite safety, he’s going to be in for a pretty rude awakening in free agency.
In this pass happy league, defensive coordinators understand that they are going to give up yardage. What they are looking for in the secondary are playmakers that have a nose for the football (like Eddie Jackson), not just players that are sure tacklers that don’t make big-time plays.
Amos is a solid safety and is always in the right place it seems, but he rarely makes a play that can turn the momentum of a game, and that’s what teams are looking for.
The safety market is flooded with several solid safeties. Amos will find, if he tests free agency, that he isn’t viewed much differently than most of those other players and he will not find teams offering him elite money.
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If Amos wants to chase the dollar (and that’s his right), he is going to find himself on a bad to mediocre football team with plenty of money to spend that is looking to sign good players, and isn’t too worried about what exactly they bring to the table. They just want players that are better than what they currently have.
If Amos wants to stay, he’s going to have to accept what the Bears see his value as and sign for less. Perhaps Amos would consider signing a short, two-year deal and try to make a Super Bowl run with this current group and chase big dollars at that point? Or perhaps one team will offer him what he’s looking for and if that’s the case, Amos has played his last game in a Bears’ uniform.
If Amos is looking for an elite safety contract, he’s going to be looking for something in the range of a 4-year deal at approximately $8 to $10 million a year.
It would be my best guess that the Bears don’t see Amos as more than a $5 to $6 million per season player and the Bears’ also wouldn’t guarantee more than two years of his contract.
If Amos does decide to leave, the Bears should be able to fill his shoes with several solid veteran safety options available on the market. His situation is going to be one to watch this offseason.