GM Ryan Pace will have a lot on his plate in terms of questions to answer come the 2020 offseason. Will he pick up Mitch Trubisky’s 5th year option? Who will he decide to keep between Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski? Can he get extensions done for Allen Robinson and Eddie Jackson? The list is pretty long but there is one other part that a lot of people aren’t talking about much. That of the contract status of Leonard Floyd.
The outside linebacker finished 2018 strong with four sacks in the final six games. Optimism was high. That is why Pace picked up the 5th year option on his rookie contract. This sets Floyd up to make $13.22 million next season. The problem is he hasn’t exactly lived up to the billing lately. At least not in the eyes of fans. Through 13 games, Floyd has just three sacks on the year. In terms of being a proper complement to Khalil Mack, it’s hard to see him as anything but a failure.
One person though who is ready to fight anybody on such an idea is outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino. He not only doesn’t see Floyd as a failure, he also thinks he’s one of the most underrated players in the NFL at his position. When the time comes, he plans to say whatever is necessary to Pace in order to convince the brass that the linebacker must be kept according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
“When that question gets asked, I will absolutely pound the table for Leonard,” Monachino said. “I know that they’ll ask, and all they will have to do is put the tape on and they will see the same things that I will describe to them.”
Monachino went on to explain why he is such a fan.
“The biggest thing with Leonard is he is a confidence rusher,” Monachino said. “The job he is doing right now with the little things we’re asking him to do is unbelievable. If there was a way that they could evaluate that, the guy is playing at a really, really high level. There isn’t (a stat column for that), and that’s a shame.
“Every week his approach is better. It’s unbelievable the quantum leap he’s made from a mental standpoint and a preparation standpoint. Unreal.”
Leonard Floyd future will come down to price
Despite what Monachino says, it’s likely people have seen Floyd’s best as a pass rusher. He is what he is. He can probably deliver between 5-7 sacks per year and be a quality run defender who is also really good at dropping into coverage. That doesn’t make him a bad player, but it also doesn’t translate to big money in the NFL. Everybody knows the key to his position is sacks. That is what teams pay the most for. If he wants to stay in Chicago, he’ll likely have to accept a certain ceiling in terms of a contract extension.
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Top pass rushers at that position are making at least $11 million per year. Jack-of-all-trades types like Floyd tend to hover somewhere around the $5-6 million range. That is less than half what he’d make in 2020 with his 5th year option. This is why Biggs believes the linebacker may decide to avoid negotiating an extension next year and try to test his market in 2021. There is one problem with such a plan though.
Floyd will turn 29 at the start of that season, so his market value will be affected by his slightly older age. So unless he happens to deliver an unexpected sack surge in 2020, the odds of him making more elsewhere are remote.
