There is the possibility that the Bears could franchise tag Jeffery for a second time. That would lock him up for just over $17.5 million. At that point they can try one more time to sign him long-term, trade him elsewhere or get one more year out of him. It all comes down to how much Jeffery wants to get paid and how much GM Ryan Pace is willing to pay him.
Former sports agent and current salary cap expert of CBS Sports, Joel Corry offered his insight on the Jeffery question. Given the state of free agency and the upcoming draft class, he expects the 26-year old receiver to command a pretty hefty sum.
If Alshon Jeffery hits the open market, I anticipate some team giving him a deal comparable to Demaryius Thomas & Dez Bryant's. https://t.co/umpalQHhVO
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) January 25, 2017
Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant were given nearly identical five-year deals worth $70 million dollars. Thomas got a little more guaranteed money but each was valued at $14 million per year. That’s a little less than he made under the franchise tag in 2016. On that note it’s not a bad thing. When comparing the production numbers of the three receivers though, such an assessment changes.
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For continuity purpose, the numbers listed will go from 2013 through 2016.
Demaryius Thomas
- 5, 436 yards
- 46 touchdowns
- 2 Pro Bowls
Dez Bryant
- 3, 750 yards
- 40 touchdowns
- 2 Pro Bowls
Alshon Jeffery
- 4, 182 yards
- 23 touchdowns
- 1 Pro Bowl
Though Alshon is in the neighborhood of yardage, his touchdown production doesn’t even sniff the other two. This makes it difficult to argue he deserves to get the paid the same rate as them. Whether the Bears can afford it or not is immaterial. Pace has made it clear several times that he’s not going to overpay for a player.
So either he’ll have to bend a little on that in order to appease Jeffery, who remains their best pass target. Or the wide receiver will have to do business and lower his price a bit. Alshon has stated he’d like to stay but it’s in the hands of his agent. Pace has remained elusive on the subject, so much is still unclear.
One thing is for sure. Assuming Jeffery walks, wide receiver will jump up the list of needs this off-season in a big way.
