Future Salary
A lot of fans wanted the Bears to hold onto Howard if they could not get the right compensation. Still, along with a draft pick the Chicago Bears added $2 million in salary cap space with Jordan Howard.
With displacement and taking into account they will draft a running back to replace Howard, they save about $1 million trading Howard. They spent $3 million on Mike Davis, which would have been $1 million more than Howard.
The money saved from Howard will account for most of the draft pick and Davis, allowing the to potentially upgrade at running back while dispersing salary cap space to other positions.
Jordan Howard is going to be a free agent next season. The Chicago Bears were never going to pay him more than his $2 million salaries, considering they will have Davis and a rookie for less than $4 million.
Could the Bears hold onto Howard for a lame duck season, get limited production from a player who knows he is going to be traded or let go at the end of the year? Sure. Does that sound good for anyone involved? No.
Jordan Howard can go to Philadelphia and try to get a fresh landing spot with eyes on a new deal. The Bears did right by Howard to take what they could and let him find a home before the draft.