Chicago Bears make first of many predicted moves to clear cap space
Before today, the Chicago Bears were set to kick off the 2021 NFL league year in the red. With the current salary cap projected to be at least $185 million, the team was projected to rank 21st among other teams in salary cap space. With the salary cap dropping the way it has due to COVID-19, the team has little wiggle room to make big moves in 2021. Ryan Pace has allowed the Allen Robinson situation to get out of hand, but could the team be making moves to fix it all?
Yesterday, the Chicago Bears made the first of what I expect to be many roster moves when they released Buster Skrine. The team saved nearly $3 million dollars with this move (could be closer to $5 million if they designate him as a post-June 1 cut) and went from being over the salary cap to now being just under the cap.
Will cutting Buster Skrine lead to the Chicago Bears extending Allen Robinson?
This move is not nearly enough, but could it be the first step the team sets in motion to bring back Allen Robinson? Paying Robinson was going to be difficult with the team’s salary cap situation heading into 2021, even if a worldwide pandemic didn’t drastically affect the league’s revenue. Now that teams have a better grasp of what to expect financially, the Chicago Bears can start looking to clear the necessary cap space needed to extend Robinson.
Robinson is rumored to want $20 million dollars per year. That is quite pricey and it makes sense why the Bears are hesitant to extend him. Although Robinson is a top receiver in the NFL, still in his prime and has been the perfect teammate, the Bears do not have the cap room to dish out that kind of money while still trying to figure out what they are going to do at the quarterback position.
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Although Skrine does not add that much in terms of cap space, he was a necessary cut who was not going to live up to the value of his contract in 2021. Unfortunately, that is how the league works, and players who do not perform are usually caught in the crosshairs. Will cutting Skrine help Ryan Pace find the money for Allen Robinson or will that money be put towards finding a new gunslinger. As always, we are left with more questions than answers with this team.