The Chicago Bears are going to be big players in free agency this off-season. They have all of the cap space needed to make a splash, and so many needs that they have to spend. If the team was going to spend big, many fans were hoping that would be on defensive tackle Daron Payne.
However, it appears as though Payne may be off of the teams' board before free agency even starts. It was always expected, but the Washington Commanders are reportedly set to franchise tag Daron Payne this offseason.
That does not officially put him out of the running for the Chicago Bears, but it certainly adds some hurdles to jump through. There is a chance that Washington and Payne cannot come together on a long-term deal, and the two play things out on the franchise tag.
For Washington, they are in a similar spot to last year, with Payne on a one-year deal. This time he is making more money than last year. So, the Commanders could realize that Payne will eventually walk, and trade him.
For the Chicago Bears, this is not as appetizing as signing him straight up in free agency, but it does mean that the door is not slammed shut on DaRon Payne to the Bears quite yet.
The issue for the Bears is they have plenty of cap space, but their draft picks are super valuable. They only have eight, and they go from picking first overall to waiting until after pick 50 for their next selection. They may get more ammo in a trade back, but until they execute that they do not have the draft capital to make a big push for Payne.
At this point in the Bears' rebuild the rookie salary deals are going to be the core of the team and the faces of the rebuild. Payne would be a great signing, but if he starts to bleed into what the rebuild could be, it is not worth it at all.
The Chicago Bears should keep their ears to the ground and if there are rumbles of Washington trading Payne, they should be interested. Still, it is hard to see them being the team that can match the trade compensation, then hope to extend Payne, as they just absorb his franchise tag cost for the time being.
It was fun while it lasted, but DaRon Payne to the Chicago Bears is looking very unlikely.