GM Ryan Poles isn’t messing around. Already three prominent names from the Chicago Bears’ once-vaunted 2018 core are gone. Khalil Mack was traded. Tarik Cohen and Eddie Goldman were cut. The goal is obvious. Dump as many bad contracts as possible, free up cap space, and secure extra picks. Poles knows resources must be reallocated to the offensive side of the ball where the Bears have a ton of holes, especially at wide receiver.
Allen Robinson, Marquise Goodwin, and Damiere Byrd are all free agents. Darnell Mooney is the only one under contract with any sort of credibility. So it isn’t a hard sell to think Poles will be somewhat aggressive over the next month and a half in bolstering the position. He may have some names in mind already. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, one name has emerged on their radar as somebody Poles might fancy.
“JuJu Smith-Schuster will have options this week, starting with a potential re-signing with Pittsburgh. The Eagles, Chiefs, Bears, and Jaguars also could be involved come Monday’s tampering period, I’m told.”
Not been an easy two weeks for LBs and DBs to try and tackle JuJu Smith-Schuster in open grass. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/8bvZJvQkDd
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) September 21, 2021
It isn’t a surprise that the Bears might have interest.
JuJu Smith-Schuster hits that sweet spot of young (25), talented, but coming off a difficult season where a shoulder injury sidelined him. That means his price tag is likely to be lower than it otherwise would be for an ex-Pro Bowler. Last year, projections had Smith-Schuster making somewhere near $16 million per season. He ended up taking a cheap one-year deal to stay in Pittsburgh, undoubtedly hoping to inflate that number in 2022. It didn’t work out as he wished.
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Now he’ll likely seek out the best possible contract he can get. The Chicago Bears are wise to consider him. While Smith-Schuster hasn’t been the same player he was back in 2018, he’s still a talented target that is particularly good after the catch. Something this team needs a lot more of. It comes down to how his market develops. Poles doesn’t seem like the type to get into a bidding war, especially at such an early stage of a rebuild.
