Chicago Bears Stay or Go: Jesse James
The Chicago Bears have a new General Manager, and the first thing he has to do is make decisions on free agents that were currently on the team. Which players does Ryan Poles want to bring back, and how much does he want to start new?
Jesse James will be an interesting test. He signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears and played it out. Now, he is a free agent and has to find out what the new regime thinks of him.
The Chicago Bears should re-sign Jesse James
To start, who is behind Cole Kmet on the depth chart? Anyone? They are going to have to sign someone, so signing someone that Kmet is familiar with could help. It is not like Jesse James is going to command a heavy market, either.
Early in the season, he was just a third tight end, but when Jimmy Graham missed time due to COVID, James wound up being the number two for the rest of the season, even after Graham got healthy.
He is a strong blocker, a trusted teammate, and he is not going to break the bank. There is not much downside to re-signing him
The Chicago Bears should let Jesse James walk
Jesse James very well may not want to return. Sure, he had the magical training camp with Justin Fields, but that resulted in his worst statistical season since his rookie year. You can chalk that up to the offense he was in, but it is going to take a leap of faith for James to even want to come back. At that point, the Bears certainly should not overpay him.
Beyond that, he is a minimal addition as a pass-catcher anyways. he is a better blocker but that does not say much at all.
Next. What will Luke Getsy bring to Justin Fields. dark
We are talking about a player who wound up playing for the Bears a lot last season, but that in Itself is the reason that Ryan Pace was fired.
They signed James late into the offseason last year, and while emerged ahead of Jimmy Graham, his stats say that the Bears should look to other options, and maybe circle back in July.