2025 Bears Offseason Thread

[UMFan83]

29 minutes ago, BigSlick said:

How much money do we have left to spend while accounting for what we can expect we'll need to pay the incoming draft class?

Not sure but I saw on right wing cesspool yesterday that the Bears could technically open up an additional $43m or so by restructuring a few contracts.  Not that this doesn't come with long term pains especially when Caleb's rookie contract is up, but they have flexibility.

[Thurman Merman]

My neighbor who has some mild connections is saying there's a trade on the table to get Hendrickson. We give up 10 and a 4th and get back Hendrickson and 17.

[BigSlick]

10 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Not sure but I saw on right wing cesspool yesterday that the Bears could technically open up an additional $43m or so by restructuring a few contracts.  Not that this doesn't come with long term pains especially when Caleb's rookie contract is up, but they have flexibility.

That reads to me like they can make at least one more big signing or a couple medium level signings. 

[BigSlick]

Just now, Thurman Merman said:

My neighbor who has some mild connections is saying there's a trade on the table to get Hendrickson. We give up 10 and a 4th and get back Hendrickson and 17.

Only actually costing a 4th and still keeping a 1st round pick would be an immense steal. 

[gflore34]

1 hour ago, Thurman Merman said:

My neighbor who has some mild connections is saying there's a trade on the table to get Hendrickson. We give up 10 and a 4th and get back Hendrickson and 17.

Sign me up, getting back a first, most especially in this draft, where the difference in the player available at #10 and that at #17 is pretty small.

[tfarks]

Haven't they already sent out their 2 4th's this year for Keenan and Austin Booker as well as their 4th next year for Thuney? If they slide down to 17 without giving up a day 2 pick as well, I'm certainly a fan of that. Hendrickson does turn 31 to start the season, but for that amount of capital paying for his decline years doesn't seem too bad. 

[gflore34]

I believe these are the updated picks for the Bears:

[Bertz]

1 hour ago, UMFan83 said:

Not sure but I saw on right wing cesspool yesterday that the Bears could technically open up an additional $43m or so by restructuring a few contracts.  Not that this doesn't come with long term pains especially when Caleb's rookie contract is up, but they have flexibility.

If I'm reading Spotrac correctly, and that's an open question since I'm not nearly as financially literate with NFL as I am MLB, it's $43M *before* doing any maneuvering.

[minnesotacubsfan]

4 minutes ago, Bertz said:

If I'm reading Spotrac correctly, and that's an open question since I'm not nearly as financially literate with NFL as I am MLB, it's $43M *before* doing any maneuvering.

I thought wrigley had a pretty good handle on the nfl way of doing things, maybe he can chime in

[WrigleyField 22]

34 minutes ago, minnesotacubsfan said:

I thought wrigley had a pretty good handle on the nfl way of doing things, maybe he can chime in

I don't know how accurate either Over the Cap or Spotrac are right now because both/either might be already adjusting for tradess that haven't happened yet.  I think tonight all the final accounting for the current league gets finalized, which will finalize rollover and all that.

 

But anyways when you're so far over you're generally not gonna do any restructuring.  If Poles finally decides to use restructure levers he can do it later on as needed.  The only teams restructuring now are generally ones who need to get into the black.  Rest will wait and the only urgency is due dates of guarantee/vesting dates on things like roster bonuses that typically will occur within first 3-7 days of new league year.

 

Anyways Bears can afford to do anything. But as much as I'm a proponent of doing all the silly cap stuff I do think there becomes a excess within any current year. Not because the total leverage is too much, but it does create timing cliffs that can be arduous to manage.  I just hope they overspend the cap by like 10% and then never stop doing that forever.

[tfarks]

Khalil Mack might be a Bear again around Monday at noon...

[WrigleyField 22]

11 minutes ago, tfarks said:

Khalil Mack might be a Bear again around Monday at noon...

That 5 minute negotiation is gonna go so hard

[gflore34]

3 hours ago, tfarks said:

Khalil Mack might be a Bear again around Monday at noon...

I hope not, he's cooked, don't have the slightest hope there's anything left in the tank.  I guess it couldn't hurt to a flyer on him still, money could be better spent.

[Brian707]

17 hours ago, Thurman Merman said:

My neighbor who has some mild connections is saying there's a trade on the table to get Hendrickson. We give up 10 and a 4th and get back Hendrickson 

Bleacher report via Reddit says it would be #10 and #72 for Hendrickson, #17, #118

[Hairyducked Idiot]

18 hours ago, gflore34 said:

Sign me up, getting back a first, most especially in this draft, where the difference in the player available at #10 and that at #17 is pretty small.

Yeah, 10 feels like a super awkward spot in this draft for our needs.

[Derwood]

Do the recent OL acquisitions take the Bears off of an OT at #10? Most kicks have had them on that position for awhile. 
 

EDIT:  seeing that recent kicks have them on Jeanty or an EDGE

Edited March 8, 2025 by Derwood

[gflore34]

3 hours ago, Brian707 said:

Bleacher report via Reddit says it would be #10 and #72 for Hendrickson, #17, #118

Where do the Bears sign?

[tfarks]

2 hours ago, Derwood said:

Do the recent OL acquisitions take the Bears off of an OT at #10? Most kicks have had them on that position for awhile. 
 

EDIT:  seeing that recent kicks have them on Jeanty or an EDGE

I don't think so, think they'd happily take Campbell despite the length concerns, or Membou. If Jeanty is gone and Mason Graham doesn't fall and all 4 of those guys are off the board that's probably worst case scenario - I would assume its trade back (unlikely) or the best d-lineman on their board. 

As a side note, I was listening to Nate Tice on Hoge & Jahns the other day and his comp for Derrick Harmon was Akiem Hicks, he's projected as a late 1st rounder now but I wonder if he goes higher than current projections. 

[CubinNY]

6 hours ago, Derwood said:

Do the recent OL acquisitions take the Bears off of an OT at #10? Most kicks have had them on that position for awhile. 
 

EDIT:  seeing that recent kicks have them on Jeanty or an EDGE

I said before that I don’t think Jeanty will last to 10. Now especially since LV traded for a QB. I think most of this is people know the new coach likes to use the RB position. The Bears need DL/DE almost as much as they need OL. 
 

If Jeanty is still there though, that’s tough to pass up if he’s BPA. He’s a difference maker. The draft is supposed to be deep and flat. I’m not sure I trust Poles, but I’d rather they go DL/OL/DE. 

[Tryptamine]

Unless someone like Graham slides, I'm not sure whoever is there at 10 is really any better than guys they can get at in the late teens.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I don't think getting veteran OL means we won't draft an OL. It means we can draft whoever we like long-term, which may or may not be an OL

[jersey cubs fan]

The athletics latest mock has only cam ward going top ten, with sanders falling to late in the first with jets trading up for him. Jeanty goes to bears at 10, then Kenneth Grant- DT Michigan at 39 and Aireontae Ersery - OT Minnesota 41. They end it in the third round with bears taking Princely Umanmielen - Edge Ole Miss.

Positionally that would be fine with me. Top player at his position who can make an impact on offense in the first. Likely year one contributors on the lines in 2nd and 3rd 

[gflore34]

51 minutes ago, jersey cubs fan said:

The athletics latest mock has only cam ward going top ten, with sanders falling to late in the first with jets trading up for him. Jeanty goes to bears at 10, then Kenneth Grant- DT Michigan at 39 and Aireontae Ersery - OT Minnesota 41. They end it in the third round with bears taking Princely Umanmielen - Edge Ole Miss.

Positionally that would be fine with me. Top player at his position who can make an impact on offense in the first. Likely year one contributors on the lines in 2nd and 3rd 

I very much like that draft for the Bears, that's almost as good as it can get for them.

Question for all - say they sign Dalman and Jeanty' gone before 10, does anyone think a reach for Omarion Hampton (by the way, great first name) is possible?  I know the draft is deep at RB, I really like, Quinshon Judkins or Kaleb Johnson on days 2 or 3. But, Hampton has a great RAS, of which, I've read, Ben Johnson is big proponent - 

Edited March 10, 2025 by gflore34

[Old Style]

Mack gets $18MM for 1 year with the Chargers. That seems excessive. 

[UMFan83]

10 minutes ago, Old Style said:

Mack gets $18MM for 1 year with the Chargers. That seems excessive. 

I love that Bears fans were convinced Mack was coming back here because the Bears put a video on social media with Mack highlights (and highlights of several other former Bears).

I see some social media murmuring that the Falcons are trying to lock up Dalman before the window opens in an hour.  This is why I don't really spend too much time obsessing over FA before the tampering period opens.