The Chicago Bears free agent agenda is top secret now. GM Ryan Pace has insisted he has plans in place despite concerns of limited resources. Truth be told the team isn’t in as bad a situation as many believe. Recent estimates claim they have over $18 million in space thanks to a variety of moves. Among them include the releases of Dion Sims and Sam Acho and the reworking of Kyle Long’s contract.
The mystery is what the Bears plan to do with that new breathing room. They have a lot of in-house free agents to deal with but most of them should return on cheap deals. The only two who could command sizable new contracts are cornerback Bryce Callahan and safety Adrian Amos. While each was a solid member of the defense last season, neither would be considered a devastating loss.
It’s why some wonder if Pace might have his eyes set on a bigger fish in free agency. One name who has garnered a ton of attention is Landon Collins. The three-time Pro Bowler escaped the franchise tag in New York and will become one of the more coveted free agents on the market. What many in Chicago fear though is the kind of money it would take to get him.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, not as much as you might think.
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Chicago Bears Landon Collins idea isn’t so crazy from money standpoint
Graziano seems to think that the sheer saturation of the safety market will keep Collins’ dollar amount to something that isn’t so crazy. This could enable a team like the Bears who don’t have a lot of cap to make a strong run at him without fear of having to break the bank.
“Projected contract: Four years, $42 million with $18 million guaranteed
The market is too flooded with safeties at this point for Collins to do much better than this. He’s well-regarded around the league, so I think he has a chance to do better than any of the safeties besides Thomas. But this deal puts his average annual salary under the $11.15 million he’d have made this year if the Giants had franchised him. So it gives the Giants a sense that maybe they valued him correctly.”
That averages out to $10.5 million per season with 42.85% of the deal guaranteed. That would make Collins the fourth-highest paid safety in the NFL but considerably lower than guys like Eric Berry ($13 million) or Kam Chancellor ($12 million). All things considered, if the Bears were willing to pay a guy like Amos $8-9 million to stay, then why not put out a bit more to get somebody who is better?
Collins is arguably the best strong safety in the game. Somebody with terrific instinct and tackling prowess. A great asset against the run. Also with a career eight interceptions, he’s proven to be a much better factor in coverage than Amos to this point. Throw in the fact he’s 25-years old and former teammates of Eddie Jackson? It seems like such an obvious move that would make the Bears defense even better.
