Report: Ex-Jets CB Buster Skrine Agrees to 3-Year, $16.5M Contract with Bears

Former New York Jets cornerback Buster Skrine is reportedly signing a three-year, $16.5 million deal with the Chicago Bears, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com:

Skrine, 29, registered 58 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 14 games during the 2018 season. He earned a mark of just 57.3 from Pro Football Focus last season, 103rd amongst cornerbacks. Contrast that to Bryce Callahan, whom he'll likely be replacing as the Bears' slot corner and who had 45 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions in 13 games. 

More importantly, Callahan earned a grade of 81.4 from PFF, seventh amongst cornerbacks. He was arguably the best slot corner in football, making it hard to see Skrine as anything but a downgrade to Callahan. 

That doesn't mean Skrine won't be better with the Bears than he was with the Jets. And head coach Matt Nagy had high praise for Skrine in October.

"He's one of the better nickels in this league, if not the best," he said, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I mean, he's good. He's a good nickel in there."

Callahan, meanwhile, likely has a big payday coming, with Dan Graziano of ESPN.com predicting Callahan would sign on the market on a three-year, $27 million with $17 million guaranteed. That sort of deal is apparently more than the Bears were willing to offer, though it will be fascinating to see how much production the team will lose by cutting some money at the slot corner position.

Skrine has a lot to prove, in other words, as he joins one of the NFL's most feared defenses.