The Chicago Bears felt like their roster was mostly set ahead of training camp on July 28th. GM Ryan Pace did everything in his power to make it competitive for 2020. It took a bit of creativity with the salary cap, but he did some fine work on paper. Unfortunately, the brutal nature of this COVID-19 offseason could set a torch to his plans yet again.

Already the virus has removed minicamps, OTAs, and the preseason from the equation. The true fear though is what the prospect of drastically reduced crowds will do to league finances. This is why owners and the NFL Players Association continue to have discussions on how to handle the inevitable windfall. The solutions from both sides couldn’t be more different.

There is a lot of technical jargon. Put simply, the owners want to take the hit right away this season and in 2021 up front. The players would prefer to spread it out over the course of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. GMs around the league are quietly hoping the owners don’t get there way. If they do, a significant roster purge could be coming for several teams. The Bears included.

Negotiations are fluid, but NFL owners continue to push for an agreement to lower the salary cap in 2020 and 2021 — proposals the NFLPA and GMs believe could lead to a rash of veteran cuts and restructures before this season, sources say.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 23, 2020

The NFLPA wants to spread the financial hit through 2030, rather than taking it now. And even a $10 million reduction in the 2020 salary cap would be “too much” at this stage, one GM said. Rosters are largely set. Many teams would be scrambling to free up money somewhere.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 23, 2020

What happens if there’s no deal by Sunday? The CBA contains a no strike/lockout/suit clause. But with no camp schedule agreed to, the NFL could potentially inform clubs that virtual work will continue indefinitely. A big few days ahead. https://t.co/z523QK73CR

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 23, 2020

Chicago Bears may have tough decisions to make soon

Nothing is set in stone yet but it feels like a decision is desired in the near future. The owners have a tendency to get their way when deadlines become a factor. If the salary cap does take a hit this year, then Pace will be forced to do some serious restructuring of the cap. The Bears have less than $10 million in space left after signing their rookie class. He’d have to unload a number of players and do some restructures as well in order to regain some wiggle room.

Here are some names that could be at risk:

• Cordarrelle Patterson – $4.75 million
• Roy Robertson-Harris – $3.259 million
• Tarik Cohen – $2.133 million
• Adam Shaheen – $1.27 million
• Ben Braunecker – $1.468 million

Akiem Hicks, Khalil Mack, Kyle Fuller, and Eddie Goldman could also see their deals tweaked to free up space. This is not the scenario anybody wants. It would weaken the Bears’ roster in several key areas. Not ideal for a team that is already a borderline pick to make the playoffs. Throw the risks of others contracting the virus? This could spell disaster.