It’s that time of year. Free agency is right around the corner. While the NFL may call it tampering, nobody cares. Players, agents, and executives have already begun sending out feelers to gauge interest. The legal tampering period begins on March 13th. One can safely assume the Chicago Bears, with the most cap space of any team in the league, will be active. What nobody knows is who they may or may not target. Much of that hinges on their plans for Justin Fields. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus seem determined to get him help.
That could mean seeking another weapon in the passing game. Injuries and depth issues haunted the wide receiver position in 2022. It’s something the Bears have to improve. At least one free agent made his interest in them crystal clear. Two-time Super Bowl champion Mecole Hardman is about to hit free agency after a solid run with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has obvious ties to Poles, who helped draft him while working in their front office. However, Hardman appears more interested in a reunion with Fields.
The two played together for a brief time at Georgia in 2018.
Hardman does fit what Justin Fields does best.
He is undersized but makes up for it with blistering speed—a genuine deep threat. Fields is one of the most accurate deep-throwing quarterbacks in the NFL. They had a nice connection for the short time they were together in college. Putting him on the field with Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool would certainly give the Bears offense some juice. The problem is price. Initial estimates are he will command around $7.5 million per year. That seems like a lot for a receiver who has never cracked the 700-yard mark in his career.
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However, he could make up for it in the return game. Hardman had some success returning punts for the Chiefs. He went to the Pro Bowl as a kick returner in 2019. If the Bears see him as a utility weapon of sorts, then adding him makes sense. If nothing else, he would instantly improve their overall depth and speed. Getting a vote of confidence from Justin Fields would only help his chances of landing in Chicago. Fans will learn more starting next week.
Quentin Johnston please. Hardman can go to Green Bay for all I care.
Love this kid. I’m biased cuz Ima
Georgia fan but saying he only had 700 yards is a misnomer. There are/were so many weapons on that team and only a single ball to share.
I’d love for the Bears to give Paris Campbell a looky-loo as well.
Fields threw a lot of high balls inaccurately last year. I saw it in many of the games so you can down-vote me if you want but I’m only stating what I witnessed. The GM says Fields needs to improve his passing but we need to see this thing though. I’m okay with all that. Let’s not sugarcoat that a young QB needs to improve. We aren’t seeking a participation trophy here in professional football. They are getting paid handsomely to gain a Lombardi. Fields will probably be better next year but he reminds me a bit of Ryan Tannehill.… Read more »
To follow up on my last post i found this very interesting from Albert Breer.
Very real thing QB coaches harp on—nothing replaces reps. Coaching buddy sent this along, on Justin Fields last year. # of HS/college throws …
• Trevor Lawrence: 2,273
• Patrick Mahomes: 2,262
• Justin Fields: 1,024
• Alex Smith: 987
Less reps = More development needed
@tonkaman…that was also in college. They all looked great in college. Tim Tebow, Trubiski etc had great passes in college. Hopefully he can figure it out in the NFL. Strange thing is is that he is great on deep throws but sucks on the short passes. Maybe year 3 and another year in this system will help that.