4 free agents the Chicago Bears must win a bidding war on

3. Saquon Barkley, Running back

The Chicago Bears and Saquon Barkley have been linked together for a second offseason in a row, but Barkley will take a hefty bidding war to bring him in.

Running backs are not seen as a position that NFL teams should pay well beyond their rookie contract. That notion becomes especially true when running backs add injuries to their resume the way Saquon Barkley has.

It's unlikely if this is a deal Barkley would accept, but his projected market value is just short of $10 million per season, with a projected three-year contract worth about $29.9 million.

Considering Barkley's injury history, along with his production season after season, there's a lot of reason to like the idea and dislike the idea.

The injury history makes him a risky buy, however.

The major injury was in 2020 when Saquon Barkley tore his ACL and sprained his MCL in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears. Mixed in his draft date and the present day, Barkley has had a few ankle injuries.

Saquon Barkley is risky, but he's regarded as one of the best running backs in the NFL for a reason, and that reason is he's able to put an offense on his back.

However, will the Chicago Bears decide he's worth the bidding war? Ryan Poles has a type, and I'm not sure it's Saquon Barkley.