Everybody is in on the Chicago Bears Justin Houston rumors by this point. It’s not hard to see why. He is the best free agent still available according to most major outlets. A 30-year old pass rusher with 78.5 career sacks including 18.5 the past two years. There’s no reason to think he can’t still be a major factor off the edge and the Bears are well-positioned to at least have a shot at him.
Why? A couple of reason. First is the fact that the Bears run a 3-4 defensive scheme. Not a lot of other teams in the league do so and Houston has been an outside linebacker his entire career. Then there’s the obvious connection he has with head coach Matt Nagy who was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City from 2016 to 2017.
Players always take familiarity into account when switching teams and the Bears have a greater edge in that department than anyone else. The biggest question mark is money. Can they get close to Houston’s desired dollar amount that would convince him to come to Chicago? It’s hard to say
However, there is one additional bit of information that makes this idea fascinating.
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Chicago Bears Justin Houston idea has one more connection to lean on
It isn’t a big surprise that Houston is taking his time. A big reason for that is his agent, Joel Segal. The man is one of the most noted sports agents in the world and he’s got quite a list of big names in the NFL. As it turns out, there is a notable one he also represents who is currently employed by the Bears.
That’s right. The two players the Bears undoubtedly have interest in bringing together on the field share a strong connection off of it already. Segal has already had negotiations with GM Ryan Pace in the past and they were certainly fruitful as the Bears made Khalil Mack the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.
So the agent knows that Pace isn’t the sort to try and lowball players. However, the Bears are in a minor cap crunch. Recent estimates have them at just over $15 million in space. That isn’t a lot, which would mean they’d need some cooperation from Houston on his price demand in order to make a deal work. That’s why people are hoping the Nagy connection and the desire to play for a contender might lead to a discount.
All that’s left to do is wait and see what the veteran pass rusher does. Ian Rapoport stated recently he’s narrowed his list to three teams. One can only hope the Bears are on it.
