The Chicago Bears have some major problems on offense. With the quarterback position in limbo and Allen Robinson likely to part ways, the offensive line must not get lost in the shuffle. If I am Ryan Pace, I am going to be fighting to hang onto my job and dig deep into the offensive side of the ball.
After addressing the tight end position last season, Pace must now dig deep into the quarterback position, wide receiver position and just as importantly, the left tackle position. As I write this, I would love to see the Chicago Bears replace both Charles Leno and Bobby Massie for 2021. Massie is someone that should not see a post-June 1st cut. By cutting Massie, the team would see a savings of $6.7 million.
It should be known, that the team is currently $10 million over what Spotrac is projecting ($182 Million) as the salary-cap for 2021. This is honestly the main reason this team has not extended Allen Robinson. That said, if Pace truly wanted Robinson back in 2021, he could have made something happen.
For fans who are concerned about what the Chicago Bears are going to do in regards to the salary cap in 2021, do not fear, this team is not in the worst shape. Currently, the New Orleans Saints are $105 million over the expected salary cap. Yikes. The Chicago Bears are currently 21st in the NFL in regards to available cap space. Other teams worse off include the Minnesota Vikings (-13 million and the Green Bay Packers (-25 million).
How the Chicago Bears should handle the salary cap
Ryan Pace can clear some much-needed cap space by doing the following:
- Release Bobby Massie – saves $6.7 million
- Restructure Khalil Mack – saves $11.9 million
- Restructure Robert Quinn – saves $7.8 million
- Release Buster Skrine – saves $2.8 million
- Release Jimmy Graham – saves $7 million
- Restructure Eddie Jackson – saves $5.9 million
- Trade/Release Anthony Miller – saves $1.2 million
The team can designate some of these moves as post-June 1st cuts to spread out and save a few million more, but neither Massie, Skrine or Graham are worth that move in my opinion as their salary is just spread out into 2022.
The one cut that the Chicago Bears should consider as a post-June 1st cut is Charles Leno. Releasing Leno pre-June 1st saves only $6.2 million, however, should the team designate him as a post-June 1st cut, they will save $9 million in 2021. With how tight things are with the salary cap, I am good with spreading his dead cap hit over two years.
With these moves, the Chicago Bears would have just over $40 million dollars in salary cap space to use on 2021 NFL Draft picks and in free agency. Other moves could take place too, such as cutting or trading Akiem Hicks (over $10 million in savings) or Kyle Fuller (over $11 million in savings). Clearly, the team can find ways to pay even Allen Robinson with this amount of money. However, when it comes to the offensive line, the Chicago Bears should look at these free agents.