Ryan Pace would absolutely love it on a personal level if Leonard Floyd finally breaks out in 2019. He never stopped having faith in the young pass rusher. Faith that was made clear when the Chicago Bears GM traded up from #11 to #9 overall in 2016 to get him. Since then Floyd has endured some tough setbacks. Some of the freakiest injuries in recent memory including a concussion and a torn-up knee caused by collisions with teammates.
He’s endured a lot, but the Bears never lost faith that he was getting closer to realizing his potential. His finish to 2018 with five sacks and several pressures in the final nine games gave them to confidence to pick up his 5th-year option. Then he delivered one of the best games of his career in the opener against Green Bay with two sacks of Aaron Rodgers. It’s easily the best start he’s had to his career. The question everybody is asking is whether he can sustain it. Something that hasn’t proven true the past couple of years.
Only the next 15 games can reveal that. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing to consider possibilities. So what happens if he does? What happens if Floyd has a breakout year in excess of 10 sacks or more? Needless to say, it will be a personal triumph for Pace and his front office. It will also create an unenviable decision going into the 2020 offseason.
Leonard Floyd will likely eye a contract extension next year
Something to remember here is that Floyd is 27-years old. He’s approaching an age range that begins to scare teams away from handing out big money. That means this season is likely his best hope to land a lucrative contract. The more sacks he gets, the more leverage he’ll have in any money discussions. That is how this sort of thing goes. Chicago is well aware of it and has no plans to discourage him from driving up the price with every sack he gets.
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Unfortunately, the Bears aren’t in the best position regarding money. Put simply, they don’t have much at all. Current estimates have them at around $4.6 million over the cap next year. That’s following the extension to left guard Cody Whitehair. If Floyd ends up with say 10-13 sacks by the end of this season, he could be looking at a payday somewhere between $17-18 million per year. That’s along the lines of what Trey Flowers and Dee Ford took in this past offseason.
What only makes the problem more acute is Floyd wouldn’t be the only key defender due for a new deal. All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson will need attention too. There is just no conceivable way the Bears can pay both of them the money they’ll be looking for. Not unless they find a way to clear massive amount of cap space off the books.
Is there any way they can do it?
Possibly. First is the 2019 cap. It currently stands at around $18.36 million. Presuming no more big moves the rest of the year, the Bears should be able to roll that over to next season. If so, this would put their 2020 cap at somewhere around $13 million. That’s at least something to start with. Then would come the harder part. Making tough decisions on some of the veteran contracts on the books.
Among the names that may face the ax?
- Kyle Long – $8.1 million
- Prince Amukamara – $8 million
- Cordarrelle Patterson – $5.25 million
- Mike Davis – $3 million
- Adam Shaheen – $1.27 million
Were the Bears to remove all of those contracts, they could be looking at around $38 million in cap space. That would greatly increase their odds of retaining both Floyd and Jackson on long-term deals. Especially if Pace can arrange to have their extensions deliver low cap hits in the first year, allowing him to possibly focus on some of the other several free agents they’ll have like Danny Trevathan, Roy Robertson-Harris, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
