The Chicago Bears will have a tough decision to make with Khalil Herbert this offseason. He will be a free agent at the end of this season, and the team will have to decide whether to offer him an extension, or have him enter the year without a deal, potentially losing him after next season. If the team did offer him an extension, what would it look like?
Projecting a potential contract extension for Chicago Bears and Khalil Herbert
This is tough to project because the running back market is so out of whack. If he can play to the point of being franchise tag-worthy, the Bears would have to pay over $11M. However, Miles Sanders signed for $6.35M per year, David Montgomery signed for $6M per year, and Joe Mixon reduced his salary down to $5.75M per year because of the market. It is hard to say that Herbert deserves more than any of those three based on his track record. Sanders's career low for carries in a season is 129, while Herbert just hit a career-high with 132 carries last year. That was a lot of work for Herbert, and he did not hold up for the whole year.
However, Nyheim Hines is making $4.5M per year, and Samaje Perine is at $3.75M per year. It would be hard to say that either has a stronger resume than Herbert, especially if they are factoring in that Herbert can be a lead back.
So, do they meet in the middle there? An easy number would be $5M per year, which would be below Mixon, but more than Hines. Would a three-year, $15M deal be something that Herbert is interested in, or does he see the chance to take on the lead role with an upgrade at quarterback and coordinator and see if that leads to more money? At this point, it is hard to see the Chicago Bears offering a deal for much more than that.