The Chicago Bears will have a serious decision to make on Tashaun Gipson. With a new General Manager in place, Ryan Poles have plenty of choices to make, but the most pressing at the moment will be whether to re-sign his own free agents or let them enter the market.
What should he do with starting safety Tashaun Gipson?
Chicago Bears should re-sign Tashaun Gipson
The biggest thing blocking the Chicago Bears from signing another big-name safety is Eddie Jackson. Whether he is playing up to it or not, Jackson is one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL. One thing that Ryan Pace did get right is knowing that you cannot overpay two safeties. If you are going to have a high-priced safety, you most likely want to put a cheaper safety to play him with. The idea is that the high-priced safety makes up for a lot, but also that investing too much in a position so far away from the ball can be short-sighted.
With that in mind, Gipson knows how to play with Jackson and he is cheap. What more do you need to know?
Chicago Bears should let Tashaun Gipson walk in free agency
The reason Ryan Pace was able to bring Gipson in on a cheap deal is that his play started to tail off in 2019. He was entering his age 30 seasons in 2020 and was playing his worst football. Pace bet on him and it worked, as Gipson bounced back for a nice season.
However, they dipped their hand in the cookie jar for too long, and the second year bit them. At this point, Gipson was 31 years old, and injuries were the first issue to arise. After he missed some time, it looked like he came back too soon, or was a shell of his former self.
Fans had all eyes on Jackson, and rightfully so for the money. But player for player, Gipson was the worst safety they had last season.
So, Gipson is 31, and two of his last three seasons are the two worst years of his career. Beyond that, you are now adding injuries into the mix. He was a nice signing in 2020, so hopefully, we can forget about 2021 and not have to see him back in Chicago in 2022.