Will Chicago Bears release Trevor Siemian this offseason?

The Chicago Bears signed Trevor Siemian to a two-year worth just over $4M. However, after his first season with the Chicago Bears did not go very well, there is a thought that the team will release him and build the quarterback room back up. They could save just under $2M to do so, and they would only eat $500K in dead money.

This makes sense when you think about Siemian and his playing style compared to Justin Fields. The two are not similar at all, and when Fields got injured, the team had to scrap the playbook and change things on the fly to accommodate Siemian. They would be much better off doing what the Ravens did, as they have Tyler Huntley to back up Lamar Jackson.

There may be better backups, but the fit is seamless when Jackson goes down. So, the easy thought is that Siemian is released, and they add two mobile quarterbacks.

However, a $2M salary is not bad at all, even for a third-string quarterback. This is not quite like the Chicago Bears carrying Nick Foles as their number three in 2021. The reality is that they will probably be spending somewhere close to $1M to find that string guy anyways.

So, to release Trevor Siemian, and sign a third-string quarterback, they would save about $1M in cap space. Beyond that, if they do draft someone like Dorian Thompson-Robinson the combined salary of all three quarterbacks would be tiny. Quality backups are making $5-$10M these days, so a backup on a rookie deal and a third-stringer making a little more than normal is not a bad deal at all.

It does make sense to sign a different backup, but that does not mean that Siemian would have to leave. The coaching staff obviously wanted him in the room, it is not going to save them much of anything to replace him, and it doesn’t stop from them making him their number three. Do not be surprised if Trevor Siemian is back on the Chicago Bears this year.