4. Chicago Bears will not get a chance at Daron Payne
This one is not quite official but is getting more and more likely as time passes. If you have been following the site, you did not expect Daron Payne to hit free agency anyways. So, when the first name to be rumored to get the franchise tag was Payne, it was all but expected.
Did you really think Washington would let him go for nothing? He is ascending, he is a former first rounder, he is coming off of his best season, and teams would line up to pay him this offseason. Maybe Washington does not commit to him via a long-term deal. Maybe the team does trade Daron Payne this offseason.
However, they knew they could trade him if worst came to worst, so expecting them to just let him walk is foolish. The next question will be whether the Chicago Bears do entertain a trade. While the franchise tag has not officially been placed on Payne, you can expect it to come any day now. From there, we find out how likely a long-term deal is, and if a trade is on the horizon.