Chicago Bears: Key offseason decisions Ryan Pace must make

Danny Trevathan

It’s hard to think of anything bad to say about what Danny Trevathan has done during his tenure in Chicago. Ever since his playing days at Kentucky and his stint in Denver, he’s been known as a ball-hawk and someone who is always in the middle of a play.

However, Trevathan’s tenacity has come at a price during his four years with Chicago. The eight-year veteran has only played one full season with the Bears since he was signed prior to the 2016 season. If he finishes the season not playing another game, his tally will go up to 18 missed games here.

What will be the Chicago Bears objective when negotiations come up with Trevathan? Most would think that management is not going to offer him a similar deal that he received in 2016 when the Bears paid the linebacker $28 million over four years. There are a few scenarios that could work themselves out here:

• Can the Bears convince Trevathan to take a reduced amount of money over a few years to come back to the Windy City?

• Myles Jack will be one of the top inside linebackers on the free agency market this offseason.  Would the Bears make a play here?

• Would the Bears be willing to take a gamble on Nick Kwiatkoski with a longer deal with more money? His current deal will also expire after this season and the Bears could make a less expensive investment into him. In Trevathan’s absence, Kwiatkoski has stepped up his game and provided big plays.

• Will the Bears move their focus to drafting their next middle linebacker?

I have approached this looming scenario from almost every angle and keep coming back to the same conclusion: Chicago needs to open the checkbook and pay Kwiatkoski. I think that the front office can make a bargain deal for the veteran without having to completely diminish an already small availability of cap space.