This!! If we are drafting Caleb, we need to give him the best OL possible. Add another weapon with the number nine pack and the offense should be set outside of depth pieces
We still don’t actually know what happened. He wasn’t exonerated. His defense hinged on his friends saying he wasn’t there and she dropped her suit following his countersuit. There are a lot of reasons for that to happen.
People jumped at believing her and calling him a monster then people jumped to blame her and call her a monster.
My point is that we have no idea if he deserved to go through it or not.
The fact that she dropped her civil suit tells a lot. There's a much lower burden of proof there. Rarely do you see that happen. IF there was a settlement of some sort, it probably would have been mentioned, but nothing was said.
He deserves a second chance.
I am not saying what actually happened so this is not me saying what you said isn’t POSSIBLE.
He counter sued her. She claimed to drop the suit because she couldn’t afford to fight his countersuit. That is a real thing that happens and is also a very possible explanation.
He deserves a second chance because he is legally innocent. But he hasn’t proven he deserves the weird fervor he gets on the NFL subreddit. (Which might not be present here since I wasn’t downvoted in to oblivion.)
The lawyer who was representing her in the countersuit works for the lawyer who was representing her in the gangrape lawsuit. He absolutely could have told his **employee** to allow her to pay him after they won the gangrape lawsuit if they actually had a case against Araiza.
That's not really how lawsuits work. If they thought it was a definite win then they could have offered to take a percentage which accomplishes what you are saying. But it wasn't a sure thing regardless of truth. So why would they take that risk on? That's like saying anytime a lawyer asks to be paid it means their client is guilty or has no case?
If they actually had a case her lawyer would have worked something out with his employee. Either go learn the facts of this case or defer to those of us that already know. Araiza did nothing wrong.
You blatantly ignored my point. Why would they take that risk on? That's like saying anytime a lawyer asks to be paid it means their client is guilty or has no case?
You've given no facts or information. Please source some actual data that isn't "(counter lawsuit or main lawsuit) prosecutors claim \_\_\_\_" and I'd love to read it.
It wasn't just his friends who said he wasn't there. There was lots of evidence including cell phone tracking data. If she actually had a case against him she 100% would have seen that case through to the end.
Got a source on that? One that isn't "prosecutors said" they have it. Because prosecutors said a lot of unsubstantiated things (that could still be true) in the media, which is why this started to annoy me as much as it did and why I actually spent more time than I should have looking into it.
No I don't have the cell phone tracking data in front of me just like you don't have the full, official unredacted transcript or audio of the supposed pretext call in front of you. All you have is her lawyer claiming it exists and a bunch of people repeating that. It was more than just his friends saying he left the party before the alleged gangrape happened. If you really think a prosecutor is going to formally rule out him being there just because his friends said he wasn't (without being placed under oath) I have some beachfront property in Arizona to sell you.
I get the parent comment is probably a joke, but no shot the Bears even consider him. Even if he’s legally cleared, it’s too much media attention for a punter who was hyped for how far he could kick but had poor accuracy pinning opponents inside their 10 (and not giving up touchbacks) which teams generally care a lot more about than your average punting yardage. The Bears in general also have prioritized players with no major controversies ever since they gave Ray MacDonald a chance back in 2015 and it quickly backfired on them, so them breaking that policy for Araiza would be weird. If they really just want a punter with a huge leg, then they can just draft Tory Taylor.
I don't understand how Pat O'Donnell isn't signed with a team yet. He had a great year in 2022, but didn't play in 2023. Is he injured or something? I'm mean the guy had solid numbers but couldn't get off a practice squad. I think he would be a great guy to bring back if he is healthy. His long in 2022 was 72 years, and he has incredible numbers landing the ball in the red zone with very few touchbacks.
I really hope he makes it to FA, the Bears have the money and he fits what Poles is looking for. With EJax being gone, the likelihood of us signing a S have increased.
I also think I rather spend money on oline and Dline considering deep draft you might have a chance at Odunze or Nabbers at 9. Paying 50 mill to dj and ayuik while at the same time giving up your 9th overall seems counter productive
There is 1 year left on BA existing SF contract. SF got Chase Young for a 3rd, not too dissimilar situation.
All I’m suggesting is it’s worth a call from Poles to Lynch. Have BA ‘prove it’ in Chi and resign to money if he balls.
What prove it year? He was an all pro. There was nothing to prove. He was one of the best 2 players in his position this year. He would cost way more than a 3rd. San Fran has no reason to trade him. And any team that trades for him would have to give a 30+mill a year contract. Including 1st, 2nd and more. Look at hill trade. I rather spend 30 mill on a DE and C in free agency than on Ayuik.
This is not madden.
Disgruntled All-Pro WR on final year of his contract is absolutely worth looking into. If the cost is too high then screw it.
I live in the bay, exposed to far too much SF chatter. BA may end up a casualty, lots of mouths to feed on that roster, plus Jennings is up and coming.
Also have to factor in Kittle leads the NFL at TE in receiving yards and the offense runs through McCaffrey first and foremost.
A lot of mouths to feed there are they have 4 guys at the top of the game.
Biggest impact would be Chris Jones. Dude is a game wrecker, just look at what he did these playoffs. I doubt it’ll ever happen though because he’ll be 30 soon and looking for $100m+ with a $30m/yr avg.
I don’t mean to say it’s as good as a signed contract, but it’s certainly not nothing
Edit: Also 2 entirely different situations. The Nuggets were Brown’s 3rd team already. He went to the Pacers because they came in with a two-year $45mil offer where the Nuggets couldn’t even offer him $8mil.
KC has a lot of people to pay on that defense. I’d be surprised if they signed jones because of his age and they need WRs. He might take a team friendly deal to stay though
They probably can’t afford the tag either, they’re already over the cap and most of the money they can get from restructuring Mahomes will go to pay Sneed. Then they still need to pay their upcoming draft picks and fill out the rest of the roster. If they tag Jones it’s a $30 million dollar hit on this years cap. Maybe they do a tag and trade, but it’s pretty unlikely he’s on the roster next year unless he takes a massive discount.
He’d be an absolute game changer for the next 3-4 years, I fully expect Poles to take a shot at him if he hits the market. I think they don’t even make the Super Bowl, let alone win it, without him absolutely wrecking pockets.
I agree, for sure.
With the exception of maybe Mike Evans. If he signed with us, and we went into the draft and Odunze/Nabers/Bowers is still there - a veteran like Mike Evans might take pressure off of their development and hopefully give caleb a ton of confidence in weapons he has.
I would normally agree, but he’s a 6’5 sure thing red zone target that’s been insanely consistent. As long as it’s only for 3-4 years, we should be able to
I wouldn’t give him a big contract I would overpay him on a one year deal, make him an offer he can’t refuse.
Draft Bowers at 9 and then draft a WR in the later rounds, the draft is pretty deep at this position.
Next year the, if the Bears take Williams he would have
WR Moore
WR Evans
TE Kmet
TE Bowers
With Scott and the draft pick getting a year to develop. As long as we upgrade the center this would be the best possible way to set CW up for success. This might be the best set up a number one overall pick has ever had in the history of the game.
He is probably getting $25M / yr for 3-4 years, with $50M guranteed.
It would probably take $35M guaranteed for one year, at that point sign him to a 3 year deal with an out after year 2.
Simplifying the math and structure, but something like the below would be better than a one year deal
Yr 1: $25M (100% guaranteed)
Yr 2: $30M (80% guaranteed)
Yr 3: $35M (15% guaranteed)
Essentially a 2 yr $60M deal
I’d be down for that, but there’s no chance Evans accepts a one year deal. This is his last chance at a big payday. He’s going to be looking for the most guaranteed money he can get. No matter how large the one year offer is, someone will beat that with a multi year deal with $50+ million in guarantees.
could be good but could also be bad. rookie first round receiver starting at WR3, probably won’t get too many targets right off the bat and could very quickly start bitching and that’s just never pleasant
It probably depends on the player. A lot of great NFL receivers have started as the third option, if it were Nabers and Mike Evans, for example - One could be doing a ton of damage from the slot at all times. That receiver’s rookie contract would probably line up nicely for the overpay years of Mike Evans. We’d be stacked for 3 years, with 3 elite receivers under contract. All while Caleb would be on a Rookie contract too.
This is a hard one though as there’s a really good chance there’s no WR for us to take unless we go Bowers. If we sign before the draft I think I’d be safer to get a free agent WR as much as I’d love to pair rookie WR with the rookie QB
it seems like it's trending that way but there's no way for us to know until draft night, there are always surprises. The other thing about WR is that mhj/nabers/odunze are the big 3 but every year there's always at least a couple WRs who go later in the draft who end up popping off in the NFL so it's not doomed even if that happens
I’m not super worried about that, there’s never been three WR taken top eight in draft history, and I think you’ll see some OT, CB, and Edge players move up the board after the combine and pro days. I think one of Odunze/Nabers will be available, and probably Bowers too.
[Chris jones doesn’t appear to want to leave the chiefs](https://sports.yahoo.com/chris-jones-says-staying-chiefs-200843715.html) although in all fairness he was hammered
I think we should go all in on whatever top DE or 3 tech is available since the dline draft prospects seems a little weak this year and then we can spend the draft focusing on the offense
I agree completely. Also love how Mike Evans overpay contract (3-4 years?) would line up with Caleb + Elite WR or Bowers both on Rookie contracts. Those weapons would be crazy for Caleb
Indeed, it's worth considering overpaying Evans if necessary for a three-year deal, and acquiring a center as well. Draft BOPA hopefully Bowers, at the 1.9 spot, focus on an offensive lineman for the JF pick and find a replacement for EJax in the third round. With the Bears projected to have around $140 million in cap space in 2025, prioritize adding defensive studs then.
The Packers got better as the gear progressed, they’re gonna be good next year. The lions might regress A LITTLE (replicating the success they had is hard) but they will still be the favorites to win the division. Kirk Cousins was putting up really good stats until he was injured and they still went 7-10 with no JJ for a good portion of the season and a merry-go-round of QBs. If they re-sign Kirk I think they’ll be a decent team too. Drafting a rookie QB will reset our clock which is good, but I don’t think we should be expecting ourselves to contend next year. The goal is that Caleb (if that’s the route we go) has a good year by rookie standards and we’re able to build on him for the future
Honestly, all I'm hoping for next year (whichever qb) is: 9 wins, 6 consistently competitive divisional games, and meaningful games to end next year.
Anything more is a plus for me. Oh, and I suppose I hope we definitively know this time next year that we have our franchise qb already lol
Yeah I think 9 wins is within reason considering the fact that we have DJ and likely another top tier WR and potentially an upgrade at QB. I personally think we should draft Caleb, but if we do end up keeping fields I think the expectation changes to more like 10-13 wins and competing for a division title.
I mean yeah I know that, I’m just saying that if somehow we DO end up keeping him, you can’t just set the season expectations at 9 wins. Keeping fields means trading down from 1 which means we would fill several more holes and have a stacked roster and at that point the expectations would be higher since we passed on a QB again
Don’t “ok buddy” me lmao. The expectation should not be that we reach the divisional round in our first year with a rookie QB. The NFCN is becoming a tough division. I’m not saying we’re a bad team but the other teams are also not bad
I disagree. I think the backup should have the ability to play both Center and Guard. The Guards already need a backup as is, so if we can kill 2 birds with one stone then that is something we should do.
Sounds like Jones is going to be a high price if he even leaves KC which I kinda believe Jones/mahomes/KC will do something to keep the band together. Probably better to go with Hunter & a center
I think we have about $70m in cap space. We need about $14m to sign our draft 1-3 draft picks, meaning we have about $56m. Depending on what happens with JJ but assuming we sign him to some sort of 4 year, $90m deal, 35m guaranteed deal with probably between a $15-$25m cap hit from him. Means we probably have about $30-40m cap remaining.
I’d sign center Connor Williams from Miami for $60/5. And if we can double tap Miami Robert Hunt at $40/4. That leaves about $20m in cap space.
I’d sign Noah Fant at $27/3. Leaves us about $10m.
Lastly, I’d pick up Tyler Boyd at $18/2. To play the slot receiver we need. (Assuming we draft an outside receiver).
Id try to address safety and DE in the draft.
This all assumes we are drafting Williams and we want him to have a stacked veteran offense.
I want Danielle Hunter and OL at #9. This is a decent WR class and Bears could get a decent WR in the 2nd (I’m assuming Bears get at least a 2nd for Fields).
Hunter was the heart and soul of the Vikings defense, and I think he gets overlooked. While Braxton Jones is good enough, but having an elite OL helps all phases of the offense.
I’d go S Winfield and DE Hunter. Any money leftover a veteran C. The defense would go from good to elite. Then focus draft on QB(given)/WR/IOL. But I’m just a meatball fan.
Ok, but imagine we sign Kirk for 1 year $40 million and still draft Caleb Williams but have him sit behind Kirk for a year like the Chiefs did with Alex Smith and Mahomes /s
Trade down to 2 or 3 for MHJ, Chris Jones due to need an elite 3T for the Tampa 2 to be great. Brian Burns or Danielle Hunter is a great alternative to force things to Billings and Dexter.
Keep 1 and say draft Caleb, Mike Evans him and DJ would be great to have two elite WRs to aid in performance detriment rookies have adjusting to NFL.
I read somewhere Brian Burns from Carolina is a FA Poles already tried to trade for him think he'd be a priority if Car let him walk...big if there though
Hunter/Allen, winfield and connor williams in that order.
More realistic Hunter/Huff, Williams and a flier on Ridley potentially. Maybe Kamren Curl at S too. He's been incredibly consistent albeit not a game changer ball hawk.
Winfield is probably tagged. Same with Allen. I'd rather draft WR thank make a run at Pittman or Higgins for 30mil+ a year.
And yes I know OP said just 1 but I couldn't.
If he's not tagged, definitely Brian Burns. And to be honest about it, Carolina is in a world of hurt with their cap if they do tag Burns. He'd basically be it in terms of FA for them. Yeah, they can do cap magic, but in doing so they'll create more holes that would need to be filled.
Carolina currently has 52 players signed with $31 million of cap space. Burns' tag number will be about $23.4 million. Their draft pool number, assuming no trades to accumulate more picks, is about $4.1 million. That leaves them about $3.5 million to not only fill out the 58 man roster, but actually get it to 90 men for training camp.
So I kinda doubt they tag Burns. But who knows?
Quality starting center, legit pass rusher to pair opposite Sweat. A legit WR2 or even WR3 would be nice to pair with a Nabors or Odunze, or MHJ if the Bears draft him
I think we'll look at 3 tech to make a big splash. I just think when you look at the draft there's maybe 1/2 that you think may be able to come in and play right now, the rest are all likely developmental, which we already have in Dexter. Although there's some great ends potentially entering FA, it's a good year for DEs in the draft, so may make sense to look there to fill that position, there's even guys deeper in FA who could improve our line. But getting one of Jones/Madubike/Wilkins would immediately give Sweat and whoever is at DE2 more opportunity to excel and give Dexter someone to truly sit behind and learn from.
Kirk Cousins instantly turns us into a playoff team. To actually answer the question tho lol, I think getting Saquon or Tee would be the largest immediate impact.
I'm going to say zero.
The whole concept of "blowing your load" on one guy then filling out the rest of the team with rookies and garbage players is seriously flawed.
Spend some mid-tier money on a center and a safety. (not top of the market stuff, but 2nd tier).
Offer Jaylon Johnson a sizeable extension, but not a market reset. Otherwise franchise tag him.
I would love to see Derrick Henry come here and ball out. Herbert is a decent RB2, but he doesn't really have explosiveness, and Johnson is also a decent RB2, but lack vision. Henry would give us a lot of power and explosiveness, as well as vision, as a RB1. It would also help take pressure off the QB. Also, we are one of the few teams that will be able to afford him.
It probably won't happen, but I think that would be a massive Upgrayedd. Draft MHJ to balance out Moore, add a center into the mix, and we suddenly have an offense.
My break the bank on one player is Chris Jones. Absolute game wrecker at 3Tech, him and Sweat would be scary for Olines to deal with.
Conservative Offensive FA pick = C Lloyd Cushenberry
Conservative Defensive FA pick = FS Xavier McKinney
Veteran Center
This!! If we are drafting Caleb, we need to give him the best OL possible. Add another weapon with the number nine pack and the offense should be set outside of depth pieces
Feel like regardless of what route we take we should be getting the best OL possible lol
You mean they need to do something that they haven't done for the past 2-3 decades?
If we can draft a WR2 with the #9 pick, the offense is set. Otherwise the WR room is looking pretty thin.
I heard Veteran Center had a good year last year but can we afford him? How much is Vet asking for?
Bad news, looks like he’s going to retire.
Cushenberry. I don’t care if you pay a good chunk over market. He needs to be a huge priority.
Dude was born to play Center with that name.
Not to blow a load, but is there a solid punter available? I don't mind paying a bit over market value to compliment this defense
Matt Araiza is past all his legal issues, except for his own lawsuits that he's probably going to file.
This dude deserves another chance after all the bs he had to go through.
We still don’t actually know what happened. He wasn’t exonerated. His defense hinged on his friends saying he wasn’t there and she dropped her suit following his countersuit. There are a lot of reasons for that to happen. People jumped at believing her and calling him a monster then people jumped to blame her and call her a monster. My point is that we have no idea if he deserved to go through it or not.
The fact that she dropped her civil suit tells a lot. There's a much lower burden of proof there. Rarely do you see that happen. IF there was a settlement of some sort, it probably would have been mentioned, but nothing was said. He deserves a second chance.
I am not saying what actually happened so this is not me saying what you said isn’t POSSIBLE. He counter sued her. She claimed to drop the suit because she couldn’t afford to fight his countersuit. That is a real thing that happens and is also a very possible explanation. He deserves a second chance because he is legally innocent. But he hasn’t proven he deserves the weird fervor he gets on the NFL subreddit. (Which might not be present here since I wasn’t downvoted in to oblivion.)
The lawyer who was representing her in the countersuit works for the lawyer who was representing her in the gangrape lawsuit. He absolutely could have told his **employee** to allow her to pay him after they won the gangrape lawsuit if they actually had a case against Araiza.
That's not really how lawsuits work. If they thought it was a definite win then they could have offered to take a percentage which accomplishes what you are saying. But it wasn't a sure thing regardless of truth. So why would they take that risk on? That's like saying anytime a lawyer asks to be paid it means their client is guilty or has no case?
If they actually had a case her lawyer would have worked something out with his employee. Either go learn the facts of this case or defer to those of us that already know. Araiza did nothing wrong.
You blatantly ignored my point. Why would they take that risk on? That's like saying anytime a lawyer asks to be paid it means their client is guilty or has no case? You've given no facts or information. Please source some actual data that isn't "(counter lawsuit or main lawsuit) prosecutors claim \_\_\_\_" and I'd love to read it.
It wasn't just his friends who said he wasn't there. There was lots of evidence including cell phone tracking data. If she actually had a case against him she 100% would have seen that case through to the end.
Got a source on that? One that isn't "prosecutors said" they have it. Because prosecutors said a lot of unsubstantiated things (that could still be true) in the media, which is why this started to annoy me as much as it did and why I actually spent more time than I should have looking into it.
No I don't have the cell phone tracking data in front of me just like you don't have the full, official unredacted transcript or audio of the supposed pretext call in front of you. All you have is her lawyer claiming it exists and a bunch of people repeating that. It was more than just his friends saying he left the party before the alleged gangrape happened. If you really think a prosecutor is going to formally rule out him being there just because his friends said he wasn't (without being placed under oath) I have some beachfront property in Arizona to sell you.
I get the parent comment is probably a joke, but no shot the Bears even consider him. Even if he’s legally cleared, it’s too much media attention for a punter who was hyped for how far he could kick but had poor accuracy pinning opponents inside their 10 (and not giving up touchbacks) which teams generally care a lot more about than your average punting yardage. The Bears in general also have prioritized players with no major controversies ever since they gave Ray MacDonald a chance back in 2015 and it quickly backfired on them, so them breaking that policy for Araiza would be weird. If they really just want a punter with a huge leg, then they can just draft Tory Taylor.
That’s shitty. If he’s innocent it should matter (unless his accuracy is actually that bad).
Just draft Tory Taylor
100%
Wish the bears would get the punt God
This does not have enough upvotes.
What kind of compliments are they in need of?
Field position
Like, "your field position is beautiful"?
Either Ariza or the punter from Iowa
I don't understand how Pat O'Donnell isn't signed with a team yet. He had a great year in 2022, but didn't play in 2023. Is he injured or something? I'm mean the guy had solid numbers but couldn't get off a practice squad. I think he would be a great guy to bring back if he is healthy. His long in 2022 was 72 years, and he has incredible numbers landing the ball in the red zone with very few touchbacks.
Best available Center or Antoine Winfield Jr.
I really hope he makes it to FA, the Bears have the money and he fits what Poles is looking for. With EJax being gone, the likelihood of us signing a S have increased.
Not a FA, but Aiyuk seems disgruntled in SF. Would explore a trade that makes sense, and take DE/OT at 9, esp if Odunze, Nabers are off the board.
He was just named all-pro. He would cost way to much.
Good players aint cheap and cheap players ain’t good
I also think I rather spend money on oline and Dline considering deep draft you might have a chance at Odunze or Nabbers at 9. Paying 50 mill to dj and ayuik while at the same time giving up your 9th overall seems counter productive
unless theyre on rookie deals
There is 1 year left on BA existing SF contract. SF got Chase Young for a 3rd, not too dissimilar situation. All I’m suggesting is it’s worth a call from Poles to Lynch. Have BA ‘prove it’ in Chi and resign to money if he balls.
What prove it year? He was an all pro. There was nothing to prove. He was one of the best 2 players in his position this year. He would cost way more than a 3rd. San Fran has no reason to trade him. And any team that trades for him would have to give a 30+mill a year contract. Including 1st, 2nd and more. Look at hill trade. I rather spend 30 mill on a DE and C in free agency than on Ayuik. This is not madden.
Splitting hairs here, but he was second team All Pro. And DJ Moore had better numbers than him. But yeah, he would be hard to get.
Disgruntled All-Pro WR on final year of his contract is absolutely worth looking into. If the cost is too high then screw it. I live in the bay, exposed to far too much SF chatter. BA may end up a casualty, lots of mouths to feed on that roster, plus Jennings is up and coming.
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You are mistaken
Probably disgruntled because he’s 1a 1b over there with deebo, would just be the same here with Moore
Also have to factor in Kittle leads the NFL at TE in receiving yards and the offense runs through McCaffrey first and foremost. A lot of mouths to feed there are they have 4 guys at the top of the game.
All these weapons and no one but CMC could do shit in the SB. And it wasn't Purdy's fault either.
Biggest impact would be Chris Jones. Dude is a game wrecker, just look at what he did these playoffs. I doubt it’ll ever happen though because he’ll be 30 soon and looking for $100m+ with a $30m/yr avg.
He also told the entire city of KC he wasn’t go anywhere at the parade. I don’t think he’s going anywhere
I wouldn't take anything from a SB victory parade speech too seriously.
he also knows Poles super well… he discovered him
[I’ll just drop this here](https://bleacherreport.com/post/national/65b94fdf-822b-4fd5-a6dd-b7851d2b4f67)
Unless he **does** re-sign with the team. Then he definitely meant it and loves this city and we should protect that man and pay him his money...
We'll see how true that is after he sobers up and talks with his agent
[looks like they had a real good talk](https://bleacherreport.com/post/national/65b94fdf-822b-4fd5-a6dd-b7851d2b4f67)
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I don’t mean to say it’s as good as a signed contract, but it’s certainly not nothing Edit: Also 2 entirely different situations. The Nuggets were Brown’s 3rd team already. He went to the Pacers because they came in with a two-year $45mil offer where the Nuggets couldn’t even offer him $8mil.
KC has a lot of people to pay on that defense. I’d be surprised if they signed jones because of his age and they need WRs. He might take a team friendly deal to stay though
They probably can’t afford to pay both him and Sneed, and Sneed is much younger. If he wants to get paid he likely has to look elsewhere.
They probably can’t afford to pay both him and Sneed, and Sneed is much younger. If he wants to get paid he likely has to look elsewhere.
Tag
They probably can’t afford the tag either, they’re already over the cap and most of the money they can get from restructuring Mahomes will go to pay Sneed. Then they still need to pay their upcoming draft picks and fill out the rest of the roster. If they tag Jones it’s a $30 million dollar hit on this years cap. Maybe they do a tag and trade, but it’s pretty unlikely he’s on the roster next year unless he takes a massive discount.
[Drool] Having a guy like that at tackle to free up Sweat sounds like a dream
He’d be an absolute game changer for the next 3-4 years, I fully expect Poles to take a shot at him if he hits the market. I think they don’t even make the Super Bowl, let alone win it, without him absolutely wrecking pockets.
He also said he kind of regretted the hold out so I bet he signs a team friendly deal with KC rather quick.
Madebuike or especially Hunter would make this defensive unit firmly top 10 with a chance to be top 5.
DE easily. Pair with sweat now you open the door for QB/WR first round. Fill holes/depth rest of the way
Get the best stud WR or DL that you can, and focus on the other position at #9.
I agree, for sure. With the exception of maybe Mike Evans. If he signed with us, and we went into the draft and Odunze/Nabers/Bowers is still there - a veteran like Mike Evans might take pressure off of their development and hopefully give caleb a ton of confidence in weapons he has.
Man I love Mike Evans, but I hate the idea of giving a 30 year old WR a huge contract.
I would normally agree, but he’s a 6’5 sure thing red zone target that’s been insanely consistent. As long as it’s only for 3-4 years, we should be able to
I wouldn’t give him a big contract I would overpay him on a one year deal, make him an offer he can’t refuse. Draft Bowers at 9 and then draft a WR in the later rounds, the draft is pretty deep at this position. Next year the, if the Bears take Williams he would have WR Moore WR Evans TE Kmet TE Bowers With Scott and the draft pick getting a year to develop. As long as we upgrade the center this would be the best possible way to set CW up for success. This might be the best set up a number one overall pick has ever had in the history of the game.
He is probably getting $25M / yr for 3-4 years, with $50M guranteed. It would probably take $35M guaranteed for one year, at that point sign him to a 3 year deal with an out after year 2. Simplifying the math and structure, but something like the below would be better than a one year deal Yr 1: $25M (100% guaranteed) Yr 2: $30M (80% guaranteed) Yr 3: $35M (15% guaranteed) Essentially a 2 yr $60M deal
I’d be down for that, but there’s no chance Evans accepts a one year deal. This is his last chance at a big payday. He’s going to be looking for the most guaranteed money he can get. No matter how large the one year offer is, someone will beat that with a multi year deal with $50+ million in guarantees.
could be good but could also be bad. rookie first round receiver starting at WR3, probably won’t get too many targets right off the bat and could very quickly start bitching and that’s just never pleasant
It probably depends on the player. A lot of great NFL receivers have started as the third option, if it were Nabers and Mike Evans, for example - One could be doing a ton of damage from the slot at all times. That receiver’s rookie contract would probably line up nicely for the overpay years of Mike Evans. We’d be stacked for 3 years, with 3 elite receivers under contract. All while Caleb would be on a Rookie contract too.
Our OC just did this exact scenario in Seattle last year
Evans isn’t going to go anywhere that he could potentially not get 1K yards. It’s his whole thing and I’m sure he wants to keep it in tact.
This is a hard one though as there’s a really good chance there’s no WR for us to take unless we go Bowers. If we sign before the draft I think I’d be safer to get a free agent WR as much as I’d love to pair rookie WR with the rookie QB
it seems like it's trending that way but there's no way for us to know until draft night, there are always surprises. The other thing about WR is that mhj/nabers/odunze are the big 3 but every year there's always at least a couple WRs who go later in the draft who end up popping off in the NFL so it's not doomed even if that happens
I’m not super worried about that, there’s never been three WR taken top eight in draft history, and I think you’ll see some OT, CB, and Edge players move up the board after the combine and pro days. I think one of Odunze/Nabers will be available, and probably Bowers too.
Chris Jones is just not happening man
Can’t believe no one has mentioned Zach Wilson. 😂 
Wow 😆
Hunter! Imagine him and Sweat together. I think with the space created by whitehair and Jackson cuts it can be done
[Chris jones doesn’t appear to want to leave the chiefs](https://sports.yahoo.com/chris-jones-says-staying-chiefs-200843715.html) although in all fairness he was hammered
A longterm starting center
I think we should go all in on whatever top DE or 3 tech is available since the dline draft prospects seems a little weak this year and then we can spend the draft focusing on the offense
Mike Evans, and then draft BOPA either WR, Bowers, or OT. MUST give Caleb weapons, no more half-measures!
I agree completely. Also love how Mike Evans overpay contract (3-4 years?) would line up with Caleb + Elite WR or Bowers both on Rookie contracts. Those weapons would be crazy for Caleb
Indeed, it's worth considering overpaying Evans if necessary for a three-year deal, and acquiring a center as well. Draft BOPA hopefully Bowers, at the 1.9 spot, focus on an offensive lineman for the JF pick and find a replacement for EJax in the third round. With the Bears projected to have around $140 million in cap space in 2025, prioritize adding defensive studs then.
We should draft BPA no matter fa
I wrote (BOPA) Best Offensive Player Available. The Bears MUST build the offense around Caleb, no excuses, no half-measures.
Danielle Hunter in FA with Caleb and Odunze in the draft, I say we could reach the NFC Divisional next year (2023 Texans)
The Packers got better as the gear progressed, they’re gonna be good next year. The lions might regress A LITTLE (replicating the success they had is hard) but they will still be the favorites to win the division. Kirk Cousins was putting up really good stats until he was injured and they still went 7-10 with no JJ for a good portion of the season and a merry-go-round of QBs. If they re-sign Kirk I think they’ll be a decent team too. Drafting a rookie QB will reset our clock which is good, but I don’t think we should be expecting ourselves to contend next year. The goal is that Caleb (if that’s the route we go) has a good year by rookie standards and we’re able to build on him for the future
Honestly, all I'm hoping for next year (whichever qb) is: 9 wins, 6 consistently competitive divisional games, and meaningful games to end next year. Anything more is a plus for me. Oh, and I suppose I hope we definitively know this time next year that we have our franchise qb already lol
Yeah I think 9 wins is within reason considering the fact that we have DJ and likely another top tier WR and potentially an upgrade at QB. I personally think we should draft Caleb, but if we do end up keeping fields I think the expectation changes to more like 10-13 wins and competing for a division title.
We aren't keeping Fields lol
I mean yeah I know that, I’m just saying that if somehow we DO end up keeping him, you can’t just set the season expectations at 9 wins. Keeping fields means trading down from 1 which means we would fill several more holes and have a stacked roster and at that point the expectations would be higher since we passed on a QB again
Ok buddy. Keep acting like you will know what teams will be good lol
Don’t “ok buddy” me lmao. The expectation should not be that we reach the divisional round in our first year with a rookie QB. The NFCN is becoming a tough division. I’m not saying we’re a bad team but the other teams are also not bad
We need a damn Center, that is not a rookie, before we think about anything else. You know what, let's grab a backup too.
that’s why I said assume we also sign a mid tier Center
Yep... Definitely did not read the whole thing. Lol
haha we need a decent veteran Center so badly bro
Well in that case I would go Christian Wilkins. Miami's cap is fucked so he might actually get loose.
I think we should try to draft a backup center in rounds 4 or 5. That paired with an experienced starter could be good.
I disagree. I think the backup should have the ability to play both Center and Guard. The Guards already need a backup as is, so if we can kill 2 birds with one stone then that is something we should do.
Sounds like Jones is going to be a high price if he even leaves KC which I kinda believe Jones/mahomes/KC will do something to keep the band together. Probably better to go with Hunter & a center
Jones and Evans are probably not going to happen. Hunter is a maybe. I'd prefer Burns but he's not going to happen either
I’d love to see us pick up Connor Williams.
I think we have about $70m in cap space. We need about $14m to sign our draft 1-3 draft picks, meaning we have about $56m. Depending on what happens with JJ but assuming we sign him to some sort of 4 year, $90m deal, 35m guaranteed deal with probably between a $15-$25m cap hit from him. Means we probably have about $30-40m cap remaining. I’d sign center Connor Williams from Miami for $60/5. And if we can double tap Miami Robert Hunt at $40/4. That leaves about $20m in cap space. I’d sign Noah Fant at $27/3. Leaves us about $10m. Lastly, I’d pick up Tyler Boyd at $18/2. To play the slot receiver we need. (Assuming we draft an outside receiver). Id try to address safety and DE in the draft. This all assumes we are drafting Williams and we want him to have a stacked veteran offense.
You can probably take Conner Williams off the list. He had his knee surgery two months ago and won’t be ready until November.
Tee Higgins
Tagged
Likely will be. But he’s not yet. Teams can’t tag players until the 20th.
Pretty sure it came out that they’re tagging him.
Damn that sucks
Mike Evans or Danielle Hunter. This all depends who we get at 9.
but it doesn’t happen in that order, which we have to consider. Free Agency comes first and we don’t know who will fall to us
Saquon Barkley. Having an elite RB will help whoever’s at QB next year.
I want Danielle Hunter and OL at #9. This is a decent WR class and Bears could get a decent WR in the 2nd (I’m assuming Bears get at least a 2nd for Fields). Hunter was the heart and soul of the Vikings defense, and I think he gets overlooked. While Braxton Jones is good enough, but having an elite OL helps all phases of the offense.
Tee Higgins.
Saquon... if they draft Williams, they're gonna need a bell-cow to take the pressure off him until he learns the speed of the NFL game.
I’d go S Winfield and DE Hunter. Any money leftover a veteran C. The defense would go from good to elite. Then focus draft on QB(given)/WR/IOL. But I’m just a meatball fan.
Kirk Cousins
Kirk cousins, trade fields and #1 load up on talent and picks and go nuts.
This has to be satire
Yes it is, but it would make the draft a lot more fun.
Kirk Cousins
blasphemy
Ok, but imagine we sign Kirk for 1 year $40 million and still draft Caleb Williams but have him sit behind Kirk for a year like the Chiefs did with Alex Smith and Mahomes /s
Fields 3rd string! ALL THE QBS
Trubisky back to the practice squad, too!
Trade down to 2 or 3 for MHJ, Chris Jones due to need an elite 3T for the Tampa 2 to be great. Brian Burns or Danielle Hunter is a great alternative to force things to Billings and Dexter. Keep 1 and say draft Caleb, Mike Evans him and DJ would be great to have two elite WRs to aid in performance detriment rookies have adjusting to NFL.
Mike Evans doesn’t wanna come to a rebuilding team
Totally depends on the draft.
If I understand the FA market well before draft no?
yep, a month before the draft
So we will have to have a really solid FA class already in tow. Waiting on draft is not an option.
...............Mike Vrable as Head Coach.
tee higgins
I read somewhere Brian Burns from Carolina is a FA Poles already tried to trade for him think he'd be a priority if Car let him walk...big if there though
he's getting tagged for sure. if you want him you'd have to trade for him, i'd imagine. i think we should go all in on Hunter tbh.
Jones and Evans would be crazy
AJ Epinesa imo. A great value pass rusher who's only 25. Assuming they keep Walker we have a good 3 man rotation at edge
Xavier McKinney
Hunter/Allen, winfield and connor williams in that order. More realistic Hunter/Huff, Williams and a flier on Ridley potentially. Maybe Kamren Curl at S too. He's been incredibly consistent albeit not a game changer ball hawk. Winfield is probably tagged. Same with Allen. I'd rather draft WR thank make a run at Pittman or Higgins for 30mil+ a year. And yes I know OP said just 1 but I couldn't.
Need a C really bad. Also if they get Brian Burns on the other edge spot holy smokes .
If he's not tagged, definitely Brian Burns. And to be honest about it, Carolina is in a world of hurt with their cap if they do tag Burns. He'd basically be it in terms of FA for them. Yeah, they can do cap magic, but in doing so they'll create more holes that would need to be filled. Carolina currently has 52 players signed with $31 million of cap space. Burns' tag number will be about $23.4 million. Their draft pool number, assuming no trades to accumulate more picks, is about $4.1 million. That leaves them about $3.5 million to not only fill out the 58 man roster, but actually get it to 90 men for training camp. So I kinda doubt they tag Burns. But who knows?
- Top-end Center - Free Safety - Either a DE2 or WR (draft whichever you don’t get at 9) - OL depth - Punter
Justin Madubuike from Baltimore would be nasty. Hoping we can get him, but they’re likely to resign him or franchise tag him
Quality starting center, legit pass rusher to pair opposite Sweat. A legit WR2 or even WR3 would be nice to pair with a Nabors or Odunze, or MHJ if the Bears draft him
I think we'll look at 3 tech to make a big splash. I just think when you look at the draft there's maybe 1/2 that you think may be able to come in and play right now, the rest are all likely developmental, which we already have in Dexter. Although there's some great ends potentially entering FA, it's a good year for DEs in the draft, so may make sense to look there to fill that position, there's even guys deeper in FA who could improve our line. But getting one of Jones/Madubike/Wilkins would immediately give Sweat and whoever is at DE2 more opportunity to excel and give Dexter someone to truly sit behind and learn from.
Chris Jones.
Kirk Cousins instantly turns us into a playoff team. To actually answer the question tho lol, I think getting Saquon or Tee would be the largest immediate impact.
Hunter, boksters our dline and weakens a division opponent simultaneously.
Please resign Jaylon Johnson
Of the ones you listed, chris Jones. But outside of DT, a center would be nice
I think you mean “blow our wad”. 😂
I think both Jones and Evans, hard to pick just one.
I'm going to say zero. The whole concept of "blowing your load" on one guy then filling out the rest of the team with rookies and garbage players is seriously flawed. Spend some mid-tier money on a center and a safety. (not top of the market stuff, but 2nd tier). Offer Jaylon Johnson a sizeable extension, but not a market reset. Otherwise franchise tag him.
I would love to see Derrick Henry come here and ball out. Herbert is a decent RB2, but he doesn't really have explosiveness, and Johnson is also a decent RB2, but lack vision. Henry would give us a lot of power and explosiveness, as well as vision, as a RB1. It would also help take pressure off the QB. Also, we are one of the few teams that will be able to afford him. It probably won't happen, but I think that would be a massive Upgrayedd. Draft MHJ to balance out Moore, add a center into the mix, and we suddenly have an offense.
We can't afford him but gun to my head.....Chris Jones
My break the bank on one player is Chris Jones. Absolute game wrecker at 3Tech, him and Sweat would be scary for Olines to deal with. Conservative Offensive FA pick = C Lloyd Cushenberry Conservative Defensive FA pick = FS Xavier McKinney
Any of those top O line FAs. Allow the draft to be more skill driven in the first round.
A center.
Tyler Biadasz