5 Free Agents Who Won't Be Signing with the Chicago Bears
After a disappointing 2014 season, the Chicago Bears plan on revamping and improving their roster this offseason under the guidance of new general manager Ryan Pace, and the first place he is going to start is in free agency.
While the 2015 free-agent class has plenty of star power, it is not known whether or not Pace will go after any of the big names who are going to be available.
He did not lay out any specific plans regarding free agency when he spoke at his introductory press conference last month, but he did note he wants to build his team through the draft.
"The recipe to winning Super Bowls is stringing successful drafts together again and again," he said, via the Chicago Tribune. "We are not just collecting athletes. We are acquiring football players that fit the Chicago Bears."
With free agency set to officially begin at 4 p.m. ET March 10, Pace has roughly a month to make a decision on whether or not the team wants to pursue any of the big names on the market.
If the Bears want to spend money, they appear to be in good standing in terms of the salary cap. According to Over the Cap, they currently have $114,759,062 committed toward the roster for next season. If the cap sits at $140 million in 2015, the Bears could have nearly $26.7 million available to spend in free agency.
Despite having money to spend, the team may be better off spreading their money around to younger players who have an upside, opposed to top-level free agents who could handcuff the organization financially down the line.
In the comings weeks, rumors and speculation will swirl regarding various free agents and the Bears, but Chicago likely will not come away with any of the league's biggest names in free agency.
Here are five free agents who won't be signing with the Bears this offseason.
FS Devin McCourty
1 of 5
The safety position—particularly free safety—has been a major area of weakness for the Bears for the better part of this century.
Other than a few stellar seasons from Mike Brown in the early 2000s, the Bears have been unable to find a long-term solution at the position. Chris Conte, Al Afalava, Danieal Manning and Chris Harris are just some of the guys the team brought in to hold down the position, but none were able to have sustained success.
The team did trade up for free safety Brock Vereen in last year's draft, but the rookie struggled when forced into the starting lineup.
A bevy of talented safeties hit the open market last offseason, but then-general manager Phil Emery decided to pursue Ryan Mundy instead of guys like T.J. Ward, Antoine Bethea or Jairus Byrd.
Unfortunately for the Bears, this year's crop of free agent safeties lacks the depth that last year's had, but it will likely be led by New England's Devin McCourty.
Once a starting cornerback for the Patriots, McCourty has flourished since making the transition to free safety back in 2012. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished 2013 as the league's best safety with a plus-18.8 grade and finished last season as the league's eighth-best safety with a plus-11.6 grade.
After winning the Super Bowl back on Feb. 1, McCourty was asked whether or not Super Bowl XLIX was his last game in a Patriots' uniform.
"I hope not. We'll see, but I hope not," he said, via CSNNE.com. "This ride has been incredible—being in the Super Bowl twice and winning it once—there's not much a player can ask for except for being at home. And this is home."
Even though McCourty has expressed his desire to stay in New England, NFL Network's Albert Breer believes McCourty could be a candidate to be franchise tagged unless contract talks resume between he and the Patriots.
"And in some cases, tag inching toward likelihood. No recent contract talks between Justin Houston and Chiefs or Devin McCourty and Patriots.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 5, 2015"
Even though McCourty would be the biggest name on the market at the position, it seems unlikely the Bears will even have an opportunity to sign him with his desire to stay in New England and the Patriots' ability to apply the franchise tag to keep him from leaving.
As much as McCourty would help fill a major need for the Bears, all signs point to him returning to New England in 2015.
WR Torrey Smith
2 of 5
Even with two highly productive wide receivers currently on the roster in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, the Bears still have a need at the position.
While Marshall and Jeffery have the ability to create mismatches due to their size and length, neither have the ability to stretch the field with their speed.
The team tried to add an element of speed at the position with Santonio Holmes and Marquess Wilson last season, but Holmes looked like a shell of his former self, while Wilson proved he does not have the top-end speed to take the top off opposing defenses.
A speedy receiver who could be of interest to the Bears this offseason is Baltimore's Torrey Smith.
He only hauled in 49 catches for 767 yards last season, but he registered a career high in touchdowns with 11. Even though his numbers dipped in 2014, he still averaged 15.7 yards per catch and has averaged nearly 17 yards per catch in 64 career games.
According to CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora, the Ravens offered Smith a hefty deal before the season, but the wide receiver declined.
"I heard Ravens offered T.Smith 5yrs/$35M before the season with $19M guaranteed. $7M/yr is very fair. Smith started slow; finished strong
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 3, 2015"
Smith would be a terrific addition to Chicago's receiving corps, but financially he would not make much sense for a team that needs to focus on improving its defense. Additionally, Chicago will also eventually need to work on an extension for Jeffery, who is set to become a free agent after the 2015 season.
As impressive as Chicago's offense would be with Marshall, Jeffery and Smith playing wide receiver, signing Smith simply does not make much sense financially for the Bears.
LB Justin Houston
3 of 5
With the Bears likely switching over to a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in 2015, the team will need to find guys who can get after the quarterback.
The team may be able to get something out of Shea McClellin and/or Christian Jones at one of the rush-linebacker spots, but the Bears will still need to address the position via free agency and the draft.
The biggest potential name on the free-agent market this offseason at the position is Kansas City's Justin Houston.
A former third-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2011 out of Georgia, Houston struggled a bit in his rookie season but racked up a total of 21 sacks between 2012 and 2013 before registering a league-high 22 sacks this past season.
In addition to racking up 22 sacks, Houston was able to apply consistent pressure on the quarterback all season long, via Pro Football Focus:
"The 85 total pressures registered by Justin Houston in 2014 were the most by a 3-4 OLB in a single season since Tamba Hali (97) in 2010.
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) February 8, 2015"
Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports reported Houston's agent and the Chiefs met at the Senior Bowl last month, and even if the team cannot work out a long-term deal, Kansas City still has the option to franchise tag him.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com believes Kansas City will do whatever it takes to bring Houston back next season, writing:
"Justin Houston is most likely to get a long-term deal from his team this offseason. Houston harassed the quarterback with more ferocity than any NFL player outside of J.J. Watt this past season. His talent for disruption makes it paramount for the Chiefs to hang on to the NFL's 2014 leader in sacks. I expect Houston to get franchise tagged, but there aren't huge obstacles when it comes to potentially inking him long term later in the offseason.
"
Similar to McCourty, Houston makes a lot of sense for the Bears because he would immediately fill a void at a position of need, but it seems unlikely that the Chiefs will be willing to let him go.
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G Mike Iupati
4 of 5
After years of struggling to protect quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bears finally improved their offensive line in 2013. The team brought in left tackle Jermon Bushrod and guard Matt Slauson in free agency and then selected guard Kyle Long in the first round.
Even though Long was named to his second-consecutive Pro Bowl as a guard after the 2014 season, he may be better suited to play tackle.
He was very raw when he entered the league in 2013, but he made huge strides at guard, and his athleticism makes him an intriguing option at either tackle position.
If the Bears do decide to move him, they would then be in the market for another guard.
San Francisco's Mike Iupati appears to be the best guard available in free agency after finishing last season as Pro Football Focus' 14th-best guard with a plus-11.2 grade.
He excels in run blocking but has struggled at times in his career in pass protection. Last season he allowed 22 quarterback hurries and seven sacks, the most by any guard graded in the top 17 by Pro Football Focus.
Despite his struggles in pass protection, NFL.com's Chris Wesseling listed Iupati as the seventh-best free agent available this offseason, just behind guys like New York's Jason Pierre-Paul and Denver's Julius Thomas.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller does not expect Iupati to return to San Francisco, but the five-year veteran told the media at the end of the season that he would like to remain with the team.
"I really want to stay here, and I'm sure we'll try to work something out," Iupati said at the time, via Taylor Price of 49ers.com.
In the end, signing Iupati would be more of a luxury than a need for the Bears. While he would help solidify the interior of the offensive line with Slauson, the Bears may want to keep Long inside at guard and look to find an answer at right tackle via the draft.
DT Ndamukong Suh
5 of 5
In head coach John Fox's introductory press conference last month, he made it clear he wants to find players who are tough and physical.
“Football is a very combative, physical game. It takes combative, physical people," Fox said, via the Chicago Tribune. "We’re going to do our best to find players that will train and compete.”
If he truly wants his players to be combative, physical people, Detroit's Ndamukong Suh is as combative and physical as they come.
In five seasons in Detroit, the former second overall pick registered 36 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. Despite his production, he does have a history of engaging in dirty plays and has been fined eight different times in his career for his transgressions on the field.
Even though there are concerns about what he does after the whistle, there is no denying the fact that he is one of the league's best defensive tackles.
The Lions will likely do whatever they can to re-sign him, but if they are unable to reach a long-term deal, it seems unlikely the team would want to place the franchise tag on him.
According to Breer, Suh will still be in for a major payday if the Lions apply the tag:
"Franchise tag figure: $26.89 million. RT @PriscoCBS Suh's contract voids today. The Lions can't possibly let him hit FA. Can they?
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 6, 2015"
If he does hit the open market, it would make sense for the Bears to go after him at the right price. Even though he is best suited to play in a 4-3 defense, he could play either the 0-technique or 5-technique in a 3-4.
While the Bears certainly have the money available to pursue him in free agency, Suh will likely command something similar to the six-year, $100 million extension J.J. Watt signed with Houston. If the team were to sign him to a similar deal, it would restrict the amount of money they could spend at other positions not only this year, but also in the future.
Even if the Bears are willing to throw that kind of money at Suh, there is no guarantee he would want to play in Chicago.
According to Bleacher Report's Jason Cole, Suh wants to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle likely does not have the money to pursue Suh, but teams like Oakland and Jacksonville have the ability to offer far more money than the Bears because of their current salary cap situations.
Suh would be a massive upgrade on the defensive line for the Bears, but even though the Bears have plenty of money to spend this offseason, they will likely end up getting outbid by a team with more cap space.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Pro Football Focus.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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