The Chicago Bears and David Montgomery have not had any traction when it comes to a contract and there is now about a week to go until he can start hearing from other teams. While fans can hope that he may hear offers, and turn around and retreat to the team that drafted him that may not be the case.
The early argument for Montgomery staying in Chicago was that the running back market was going to be overflooded. If Montgomery got lost in the wind, he would not get a strong offer, not nearly as strong as he once he thought he was worth. That may have him realize that the Bears' offers are not so bad.
However, the reality is that things are turning for Montgomery. Early on the names that had Montgomery pushed down were Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard. The Cowboys officially tagged Pollard, and the Raiders did the same with Josh Jacobs.
The only reason the Giants have not tagged Barkley is that they are hoping to get a long-term deal done with Daniel Jones first. If they sign Jones, they will tag Barkley, but even if they have to tag Jones, they appear set on keeping Barkley.
So, all of the sudden the top running backs on the market are guys such as Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, and then names such as Jamaal Williams and Kareem Hunt. Williams and Hunt are not three-down backs and are older than Montgomery.
Running back will never be a position that gets overpaid anymore, but the top player at any position will make more on the market than they will signing with their current team. If teams start to view David Montgomery as the top running back available, the deals will start getting bumped one million here or there until he is out of the Chicago Bears' price range.
If you are a Chicago Bears who want to see David Montgomery back with the team, yesterday was not good for you, and the next week will be vital because once he tests the market he is not coming back.