With that being said it’s important to not lose hope just yet. There have been plenty of instances where players test free agency and still end up signing with their original teams. In fact the Bears did so back in 2008. The year before they had franchised Lance Briggs. It was a move that angered the Pro Bowl linebacker. So much in fact that he basically declared he was done with the team.
“I am now prepared to sit out the year if the Bears don’t trade me or release me, I’ve played my last snap for them. I’ll never play another down for Chicago again.”
The Bears briefly considered trading him but in the end decided to call his bluff. After holding out for mandatory minicamps, Briggs chose to report and played for the team in 2007. Then in March of 2008 he chose to sign a new six-year, $36 million deal to stay with the team. Understand that free agency started on February 29th that year. So Briggs was technically available to other teams for over 24 hours.
He was significantly more proven as a playmaker than Alshon Jeffery is. If there is one thing the NFL has revealed over the years it’s that almost no player is irreplaceable. Losing him would be a tough blow to the offense in the short-term, but here’s one final stat to digest. In the 12 games Jeffery played in 2016, the Bears offense averaged 253.3 yards passing. This versus 231.5 yards without him.
Before people go and say 21.8 yards per game is a significant difference, understand they played three of those four games with a third-string quarterback in Matt Barkley. Not to mention one of them was in a blizzard.
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He did that throwing to guys like Cameron Meredith and Josh Bellamy. Then there is this simple fact. The Bears were 1-3 without Alshon. They were 2-10 with him. In 2015 they were 3-4 without him and 3-6 with him. So it’s fair to ask. Just how much of a difference-maker is Jeffery when you come right down to it?
Not enough to pay him like he is one.
