2025 Bears Offseason Thread

[WrigleyField 22]

1 minute ago, NOLA said:

Saints have an old roster with one Pro Bowler (special teams player) and are $80M plus over the cap.  Great, patient ownership is the only draw.

The cap number is kind of meaningless though.  They do have a legit tough cap situation, and what was an old roster 3 years ago is like ancient now, yea.

[NOLA]

Just now, WrigleyField 22 said:

The cap number is kind of meaningless though.  They do have a legit tough cap situation, and what was an old roster 3 years ago is like ancient now, yea.

The cap situation was fine when you’re going for a run every year.  When you suck, you’re that far underwater and all your worst contracts are over 35 years old, it’s a problem.

[WrigleyField 22]

10 minutes ago, NOLA said:

The cap situation was fine when you’re going for a run every year.  When you suck, you’re that far underwater and all your worst contracts are over 35 years old, it’s a problem.

It's a small problem.

 

I'd take it over Jets dumpster fire 10/10.

[David]

 

[gflore34]

6 minutes ago, David said:

 

Awesome, no Arians/McGinnis horsefeathers going down, it's true, it's real, now, get a cup of coffee or, probably, a Red Bull/Energy Drink and start putting together a FA/draft plan to fix the horsefeathers OL!!!

Also, despite being different sports, glad he wasn't hired by the Dodgers.  Well, just because, why the horsefeathers not?

Edited January 21, 2025 by gflore34

[jersey cubs fan]

1 hour ago, Soul said:

I'm stoked about this but I'll wait to see how it ultimately translates to the field.  I remember Daboll being the hot commodity too, and so far he's turned out to be a dud.  I don't think many people thought the Giants would be in this position when they landed him.  Why?  Don't know.  Must have been that there was more in place with Buffalo than just him.  It wasn't Daboll alone making that offense work.  And he hasn't been able to bring that to the Giants.

Who is handling personnel?  Only Poles?  Mildly concerned about that unless he knows how to feed the Johnson machine and he can execute on that.  Obviously the OLine needs massive improvement.  I can't see success with that dumpster fire out there every week.  Poles has failed building an OLine.  He's tried, and failed.

Sorry to toss a big skunk on the table but at the end of the day...show me.

The thing about Daboll is Daniel Jones was never a guy they should have invested in. No idea why he got that contract. 

[jersey cubs fan]

19 minutes ago, David said:

 

What’s the deal with an nfl head coach dressing like Jerry Seinfeld 30 years ago? 

[gflore34]

Whom should the Bears target in FA?  Plenty are saying Trey Smith, don't think that's realistic, don't believe he's going to leave KC.  I'm thinking they should target multiple OL starter types, definitely spend all the money.

[Tryptamine]

9 minutes ago, gflore34 said:

Whom should the Bears target in FA?  Plenty are saying Trey Smith, don't think that's realistic, don't believe he's going to leave KC.  I'm thinking they should target multiple OL starter types, definitely spend all the money.

Well as of now, the bare minimum of things to address between the draft and FA are one edge, one DL run stopper, one left tackle and one right tackle or center. Further down the list is Safety, maybe a RB and perhaps a WR.

[gflore34]

21 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Well as of now, the bare minimum of things to address between the draft and FA are one edge, one DL run stopper, one left tackle and one right tackle or center. Further down the list is Safety, maybe a RB and perhaps a WR.

Going this route may allow them to take Jeanty at 10, then OL/DL, OL, OL/WR with the next three picks.  I'd be OK with this approach, Johnson does value the RB position, wouldn't be a surprising outcome.  Even though it is a RB deep draft and someone not that far removed from Jeanty will be available on day 2 or 3.

Edited January 21, 2025 by gflore34

[Tryptamine]

23 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Well as of now, the bare minimum of things to address between the draft and FA are one edge, one DL run stopper, one left tackle and one right guard or center. Further down the list is Safety, maybe a RB and perhaps a WR.

 

[BigSlick]

1 hour ago, jersey cubs fan said:

The thing about Daboll is Daniel Jones was never a guy they should have invested in. No idea why he got that contract. 

The economics around quarterbacks has quickly gotten very interesting. On the one hand, you absolutely need at least a very good quarterback to even think about winning a superbowl, on the other hand, there are very few of those guys and now they demand LARGE contracts, and you have to basically make a decision by year 3 of their rookie contract or you're boned. And one mirage year of offensive production might force your hand. It's really dicey. In past eras of the NFL you didn't have to make a decision so quickly and you also didn't need to commit as much of your cap to them. 

Thank god we didn't make that mistake with either Trubisky or Fields. But we'll have to know pretty quickly on Caleb. We basically have the next two years to decide. 

Edited January 21, 2025 by BigSlick

[David]

 

[UMFan83]

Statements from Poles, Warren, McCaskey and Johnson. PC tomorrow. This happened so fast!

 

[Wilson A2000]

16 minutes ago, David said:

 

I do believe him which makes it all the more rough that the Bears didn’t fire Eberflus and get him last year. But at least they got him now. 

[bukie]

3 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Statements from Poles, Warren, McCaskey and Johnson. PC tomorrow. This happened so fast!

 

Well, maybe they planned on drawing this out for another month while the Lions won the Super Bowl, but Jared Goff decided "No, we'll just end this now."

[gflore34]

7 minutes ago, bukie said:

Well, maybe they planned on drawing this out for another month while the Lions won the Super Bowl, but Jared Goff decided "No, we'll just end this now."

I honestly feel bad for my family members who are big Lions' fans.  Wanted them to win one then, go to horsefeathers.  Not that it'll happen but, I'm OK with it going to horsefeathers for the Lions without the Super Bowl win.

[BigSlick]

It’s an extremely small, possibly entirely meaningless thing but: I enjoy that he seems far more confident at public speaking than Eberflus. 
 

[Soul]

4 minutes ago, BigSlick said:

It’s an extremely small, possibly entirely meaningless thing but: I enjoy that he seems far more confident at public speaking than Eberflus. 
 

I know it's a soft skill, difficult/impossible to really quantify, but I do think it's an important characteristic.

[David]

 

hell yes, please

 

Edited January 21, 2025 by David

[Wilson A2000]

Apart from the Bears ponying up big-time money for a head coach, I heard Ben Johnson swears a lot so that was another big step for the McCaskeys

[Hairyducked Idiot]

1) It's all about Caleb Williams now.  These plays are creating open receivers, but they *have* to be recognized and hit quickly by the QB to be effective.  If he flinches or looks confused, as he often did (which is understandable as a rookie), the whole thing falls apart.

2) I know everyone's gung-ho about the line, but we need some more speed at the skill positions to match this.  A better RB and at least one fast WR.

[SpongeWorthy]

1 hour ago, Hairyducked Idiot said:

1) It's all about Caleb Williams now.  These plays are creating open receivers, but they *have* to be recognized and hit quickly by the QB to be effective.  If he flinches or looks confused, as he often did (which is understandable as a rookie), the whole thing falls apart.

2) I know everyone's gung-ho about the line, but we need some more speed at the skill positions to match this.  A better RB and at least one fast WR.

I have a strong feeling that they’ll try to beef up the IOL hard in FA and go after jeanty 

[cwood218]

19 minutes ago, SpongeWorthy said:

I have a strong feeling that they’ll try to beef up the IOL hard in FA and go after jeanty 

This would be a nightmare. ( The Jeanty part )

I'm all for "IOL hard in FA"

 

[Hairyducked Idiot]

22 minutes ago, SpongeWorthy said:

I have a strong feeling that they’ll try to beef up the IOL hard in FA and go after jeanty 

God help me I don't think I'd hate it.  Better than drafting a defensive player.