Now that the Chicago Bears have a General Manager, Ryan Poles is going to get to work on the roster. He has plenty of questions to make with a roster full of holes, but also will have to make some tough cuts for cap purposes. An obvious choice is likely Eddie Goldman.
Entering the 2020 season, it was looking as though Goldman was about to hit the peak of his playing powers. He was just 25-years old, was signed long-term, and was about to have a strong prime. Then, the pandemic happened.
Whatever happened in 2020 clearly affected Goldman. Goldman opted out of the 2020 season with fears of the virus and how the NFL handled it. Goldman did return in 2021, but he was not the same player in any way.
To start, he was held out of OTAs for a reason that has never been described. Then, a lower-body injury held him out of training camp and put him on the sideline to start the season. Reports started to question what type of shape he was in.
When Goldman got on the field, he was a shell of his former self. He had a career-low in pressures, and stops, and also set a career-high in missed tackles, per PFF. Goldman also missed time with COVID, which is not unusual, but it did make headlines to hear that he was not vaccinated, despite opting out last season.
We do not know how Goldman feels about the virus, or even if that is what affected his performance and mindset. The year was weird for many people and changed the way we think and live. It appears it impacted Goldman one way or the other.
Ryan Poles can certainly sit down with Goldman and get his side of the story. However, one of the most reliable players in 2019 is now in a spot where he cannot be trusted in 2022.
If the Chicago Bears move on from Goldman this offseason they can save $8,860,407. At worst, it would be $6,860,407.
If they designate him for a post-June 1st release, they will save the extra $2million. The issue would be that the team would not be able to spend any of that $8 million until after June 1. This would mean that the Bears would not be able to use the money that Goldman saved them on free agency.
However, they could wait until June to sign their draft class, although that will be less than $8M. Still, by holding off on signing them, and perhaps using the Goldman money to take flexibility into the season, it may be worth designating him for post-June 1. At the same time, if they need that $6M and they to think the extra money can get them a big fish, they could just cut ties with Goldman altogether.
When it comes to Eddie Goldman it appears as though the question is when will his money clear off of the Chicago Bears books, and less about whether or not he will be in Chicago next season.