Between their two primary starters who are set to become free agents, many believe the Chicago Bears should prioritize trying to keep Bryce Callahan over Adrian Amos. While Amos is two years younger and more durable, strong safeties have historically been easier to replace than good nickel cornerbacks. Especially in this era of pass-happy offense.
The big question of course is what will it end up costing the Bears to make that happen. They don’t have a lot of salary cap space at present. Latest estimates say it’s no more than $18 million. That may sound like a lot, but they have a ton of work to do regarding their roster with only 48 players currently under contract.
Callahan would likely eat up a sizable chunk of that, right? According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, that’s a big-time yes. He believes the high demand for good cover corners will keep his price tag high in spite of his noted health concerns.
“Projected contract: Three years, $27 million with $17 million guaranteed
If teams are going to spend on slot receivers, it makes sense that slot cornerbacks would be worth something as well. Callahan has been a valuable member of the Bears’ strong secondary but could price himself out of their range.”
Bryce Callahan is good but he’s not $9 million per year good
There is no questioning that Callahan is a good football player. His coverage is consistent, he tackles well, and he can blitz. Just a versatile, solid talent. Yet one has to ask the tough question. Is that talent worth $9 million per year knowing full well he has yet to play a full season in his NFL career? The answer must be no.
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Talent matter in football, but so does availability. That $9 million will look awfully useless if the player is on the sideline wearing street clothes 3-4 games a year. That’s the kind of money that should go to players who maybe his 3-4 snaps per game. Callahan will undoubtedly get that from somebody, but the Bears have to take a stand here. They have elite talent on defense and were just fine whenever Callahan didn’t play.
It won’t be easy watching a homegrown talent walk, but this is the difficult part of business in the NFL. Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
