Ben Johnson said the intention was to win this year. GM Ryan Poles said he would work in tandem with Johnson on the approach this offseason. It appears the Chicago Bears brass have stuck to their statements. Before the new league year has even begun, the team has engineered two trades. One was for 28-year-old guard Jonah Jackson from Los Angeles and the other was for 32-year-old guard Joe Thuney from Kansas City. In the space of mere days, the Bears’ offensive line has taken a big step forward.
One would think the team is content with its acquisitions and is turning its focus to free agency next week. The legal tampering period starts March 13th. However, they might not be done yet. A source told SM that the Bears have quietly looked into the market for veteran tight end Michael Mayer. The 23-year-old was a former second-round pick in 2023. He had a promising rookie season but saw his playing time reduced last year due to the arrival of rookie phenom Brock Bowers and some rumored mental health issues.
He resumed playing later in the season, and the problems never resurfaced.
The Chicago Bears’ interest in Mayer is immediately apparent.
While most people nowadays look to the receiving ability first, that isn’t where he shines. Mayer showed at Notre Dame and in Las Vegas that he is a high-quality run blocker. His pass protection is also reliable. To top it off, he can catch, too. While not an explosive playmaker, he has the size and hands necessary to move the chains. Don’t forget Johnson wants to run the ball on offense. He needs guys who can help generate movement. Gerald Everett wasn’t that type of player, which is why the Chicago Bears cut him. A tandem of Mayer and Cole Kmet would give the offense some serious beef at tight end. Whether the Bears can land him is another story. Word is the market for Mayer is strong. It may prove too expensive.
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Given his name, there is a higher than usual probability that his mental health problems are genetic and relate to schizophrenia. But I would like the Bears to acquire him as cheaply as possible. He is the right age. I prefer the Bears to have two pass-catching TEs and two blocking TEs to cover most scenarios including use as a FB.
I’d just like to note that along with advocating for assembling the Sweatiest d-line in football I also was stumping for picking up Michael Mayer and Andrew Voorhees in the ’23 draft so that our offense could strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses. Like usual my pleas were ignored to the detriment of the team.
Or do you just wait for him to be Waived?
Free Agency hasn’t even started, and the Bears are all over it. I like it. By the end of next week, we should have a clearer picture on what needs to be the focus of the draft.
Mayer does look good, but remember that those 6 minute cuts are just their best plays. They don’t show drops, fumbles, or bad plays. Despite that, his statistics look solid, and if the Raiders are selling him because Bowers is a stud, the bidding shouldn’t be too crazy. I mean, the dude isn’t Antonio Gates; he’s solid, and can block, which is more than the Bears have had behind Kmet for a long time.