Chicago Bears: Thoughts as Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy get ready for the offseason
This will be a random article on everything going on and around the Chicago Bears and the draft. First, let me start with the rumors of Allen Robinson. Many questioned general manager Ryan Pace about not getting a deal done with the Chicago Bears leading receiver. It is rumored that the Chicago Bears offered a four years extension of up to $80 million dollars.
Rumors also spread that Robinson declined because he wanted to be paid $100 million a season. Roughly the second-largest receiver contract to DeAndre Hopkins. This might have been something the general manager would have been willing to accept during a normal year.
With the salary cap potentially dropping this year, that was never going to be an option. Allen Robinson is a good player, but he’s not even the best receiver in the division. Ryan Pace had no other choice but to let him walk.
It will hurt to lose him, not just because he was the Chicago Bears’ number one option, but because the Bears only have three other receivers that played in 2020 coming back on the roster. Luckily the Chicago Bears have been stocking up on young practice squad players and found a legit number two in Darnell Mooney.
Matt Nagy might be going in a different direction next season at receiver. The team signed Rodney Adams, Reggie Davis, and Jester Weah to future/reserve contracts as soon as the team’s season was over. All of those receivers ran a sub 4.5, 40-yard dash either at the NFL combine or pro day.
Matt Nagy might be done with the possession styled receivers and focus more on dynamic burners down the stretch. It would be silly, and I fully expect the Chicago Bears to sign or draft a receiver this offseason, but maybe saving Riley Ridley was something they were doing.
My concern with not having a prototypical number one receiver on the roster is Ryan Pace already dealt with that when he had Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky (rookie year). They relied on Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright, Dontrelle Inman, and Josh Bellamy to lead the way as the team’s “star” receivers. While Darnell Mooney looked promising, he will need some help to stay healthy and productive.