To help offset the cap hit, the Chicago Bears part with a defensive cornerstone
The cap hit for Ryan’s contract in 2021 is a huge number — $40.9 million. Next year, it’s $41.6 million. That is a heck of a lot of money to be paying a quarterback, but Pace will find a way to work around it. That’s what good general managers do. They work around the cap and continue to prove that it is simply a myth.
The question is, is Pace a good general manager? Bears fans just spit out their drinks and choked on their lunch while reading that question.
We’ll see just how savvy Pace can prove he might be.
In this trade scenario, the Bears are able to unload some salary in cornerback Kyle Fuller — however, it’s going to come at a cost. Fuller was one of the better corners in all of football this year in terms of opposing completion percentage allowed. In fact, for the first five games of the season, he and teammate Jaylon Johnson were the number one duo in the league.
Fuller continued his strong play down the stretch and continues to prove the Bears were correct to fight in bringing him back a couple of years back. He’ll add much-needed talent to an Atlanta defense which was very beatable in just about every aspect, especially through the air.
Along with Fuller, the Bears send this year’s first-round selection and next year’s second-rounder. Is it a haul for Atlanta? Absolutely. But, in order to get a franchise quarterback, it’s well worth the price.