For the last month or so, the vibes in Chicago have been immaculate. Bears fans are still riding the high of that Ben Johnson introduction, and this is the wonderful time that comes around once every four years where Chicago’s actually excited about their football team.
RELATED: It sure sounds like the Bears won't use the franchise tag during the 2025 NFL offseason
But [extremely dramatic voice] the franchise tag looms. Nothing gets in the way of great vibes like a franchise tag, and these next two weeks will be the first stretch of time that really gives us some insight into how Johnson and GM Ryan Poles view the state of the Bears’ roster. Some familiar names may not be around that much longer, which is exactly what ESPN’s Bears Insider Courtney Cronin suggests in their latest roundup of tag candidates.
We may have seen the last of both Keenan Allen and Teven Jenkins in Chicago
“The Bears used the franchise tag in 2024 as a placeholder on cornerback Jaylon Johnson to execute a long-term deal just two days later. Chicago's top two pending free agents -- receiver Keenan Allen and guard Teven Jenkins -- wouldn't qualify for the tag for a number of reasons. Allen will be 33 this season, and Jenkins missed 23 games over four seasons because of injury. It's more likely the Bears let both players walk and find their replacements in free agency or the draft.”
On paper, losing Allen doesn’t feel like that big of a blow – like Cronin mentions, he’s 33 and pretty obviously not the receiver he once was – but then you remember that, uh, he was 2nd in receiving yards for the team last year. He had essentially the same amount of receiving yards as Rome Odunze, but with 20 more receptions – so maybe that bodes well for the idea that Odunze is farther along than he looked at points this season? Or maybe they’ll remember they have Cole Kmet? Losing Allen (presumably back to a Los Angeles team) one single season after trading a 4th round pick would be a tough look for Poles, but I don’t think Bears fans are going to lose much sleep over it.
Jenkins, on the other hand, is a tougher loss. It’s easy to understand why the Bears would want to move on – Jenkins has only ever played more than 13 games once in his four-year career, and the results have generally been mixed – but he’s been a fan favorite since getting drafted and still flashes potential when healthy. This feels like a “We hired a new coach and you’re probably tired of the routine here” type split, which will be a tough pill to swallow when he starts 17 games for the Packers next season. (Sorry, sorry, I’m trying to remove it.)