5 free agents on Chicago Bears radar unlikely to make it to free agency

1. Chicago Bears will not replace Roquan Smith with this linebacker

The Chicago Bears will be doing something at linebacker. Even with the emergence of Jack Sanborn, they are losing Nicholas Morrow this offseason in addition to Roquan Smith last year during the trade deadline.

One name that will come up is Tremaine Edmunds. Edmunds was in the same draft class as Roquan Smith. Some have argued that he is better, or at least has the upside to be better than Roquan Smith. Still, his free agency market expects him to get less than Smith.

That makes sense since Smith is a market-setting type of deal, but it does not mean that the Chicago Bears will be signing Edmunds for less than Smith and making out with the better option with a little extra cash.

Just like the rest of these options, it is so hard to actually see Edmunds hit free agency. Edmunds will only be 25 years old this offseason. The team already picked up his fifth-year option, and more than any of the other teams and players on this list, they have makde it clear they want him to stay.

Edmunds comes off more like a franchise face of the Bills that has value in the locker room and off of the field. It is hard to see them letting him go, even in a sign and trade situation. The Chicago Bears can have their eyes on some names, even after they get tagged. Tremaine Edmunds is not going to be one of them.