Post by JABF on Feb 20, 2018 16:12:52 GMT -6
Talks about FAs on the bubble.
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Roster rebuild begins: Bears cut LB Jerrell Freeman
In advance of the Bears’ foray into roster rebuilding, the club has begun tidying up their roster.
The Bears on Tuesday informed inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman his contract will be terminated. Pro Football Talk first reported the news.
With the start of the new league year — and free agency — slated for March 14, it’s the first of what is expected to be a series of moves by the Bears as general manager Ryan Pace positions the club for what will be an interesting player-acquisition period.
The Bears already were flush with salary-cap room — they ranked 11th in the league before the move, with 51 players under contract and roughly $39.7 million in available room, an impossible figure to nail down with the exact number not yet announced.
Now, they have more room. But this and future moves aren’t about cap space; they’re about roster fits and production.
Freeman, 31, suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the season-opening loss to the Falcons in September, which shut him down for the year. Later, he was suspended for 10 games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, his second suspension in as many seasons.
Signed to a three-year, $12 million contract in 2016, he was due to earn $3.5 million. Releasing him will clear $3.5 million in cap space. Freeman made 86 tackles and defended four passes in 2016.
While it’s highly unlikely the Bears will move on from all of the roster-bubble veterans, certainly more moves will follow as they shape their personnel for new coach Matt Nagy and his staff.
Quarterback Mike Glennon is not expected to return for a second year after losing his starting job a month into the 2017 season to first-round draft pick Mitch Trubisky. Releasing Glennon will create $11.5 million in salary-cap space, and the Bears are on the hook for $2.5 million in guarantees for him in 2018, but offset language could erase or at least reduce that figure, provided he is paid by another team.
The Bears made a miscalculation in signing Glennon to a three-year, $45 million contract, but in effect it was a series of three one-year deals, meaning they at least will not feel a major hit by releasing Glennon, who lost his job after committing eight turnovers in four games.
Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, 29, was Pace’s first major free-agent addition in 2015, but after a hot start in his first six games, injuries greatly diminished McPhee’s ability and production. He began the 2016 season on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing microfracture knee surgery and then had arthroscopic knee surgery at the outset of training camp last summer, forcing him out for all of training camp and preseason. A shoulder injury forced him to injured reserve in December, and the Bears are unlikely to pay him the $7.575 million he is owed this season. Releasing McPhee will create $7.075 million in cap space.
Wide receiver Markus Wheaton was rarely healthy last season. He was still rehabilitating from shoulder surgery when the Bears signed him to a two-year, $11 million deal that included $6 million guaranteed, all of it in 2017. Wheaton had his appendix removed during training camp, suffered a broken finger that required surgery when he returned and then a groin muscle injury that forced him out of three games in the middle of the season. He made just three receptions for 51 yards and played just 64 snaps in the final eight games he was active for. Wheaton is due $5 million this season and releasing him will clear that much in cap space.
Safety Quintin Demps, who turns 33 in June, has an uncertain future. The Bears have a promising free safety in Eddie Jackson, and Adrian Amos is coming off his finest season and entering a contract year. Demps, who was coming off a career-best season with the Texans in which he made six interceptions, was limited to three games with the Bears as he suffered a fractured left forearm. The Bears hoped Demps would return from injured reserve, but nerve damage in his arm following surgery complicated matters, and they wound up shutting him down. He is owed nearly $3.6 million, and releasing him will create $3.26 million in cap space.
Cornerback Marcus Cooper fell out of favor after starting the first four games, logging only 47 snaps the remainder of the season. The Bears figured he would emerge as their No. 1 cornerback after he made four interceptions opposite Patrick Peterson with the Cardinals in 2016, but he struggled, seemed to lose confidence and was relegated to backup duty when Kyle Fuller thrived. Cooper was signed to a three-year, $16 million contract with $6 million guaranteed. His base salary for 2018 is $5 million, $2 million of which becomes guaranteed March 16. Releasing Cooper would create $4.5 million in cap space.
Outside linebacker Willie Young, 32, played four games in 2017 before a torn triceps forced him to injured reserve. He is entering the final year of the extension he signed at the start of training camp in 2016. He is due $3.5 million in base salary and a $1 million roster bonus. Releasing Young would create $3.6 million in cap space. Young has been productive when healthy, which makes the Bears’ decision with him difficult — they have clear holes that need to be filled at the position.
Tight end Dion Sims did not produce in the passing game as much as the Bears expected when they signed him to a three-year, $18 million contract. He caught only 15 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown, but the passing game underperformed across the board and issues were wide-ranging. Sims is due a base salary of $6 million in 2018 with $4 million fully guaranteed. Releasing him could clear $5,666,666 in cap space.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs
Roster rebuild begins: Bears cut LB Jerrell Freeman
In advance of the Bears’ foray into roster rebuilding, the club has begun tidying up their roster.
The Bears on Tuesday informed inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman his contract will be terminated. Pro Football Talk first reported the news.
With the start of the new league year — and free agency — slated for March 14, it’s the first of what is expected to be a series of moves by the Bears as general manager Ryan Pace positions the club for what will be an interesting player-acquisition period.
The Bears already were flush with salary-cap room — they ranked 11th in the league before the move, with 51 players under contract and roughly $39.7 million in available room, an impossible figure to nail down with the exact number not yet announced.
Now, they have more room. But this and future moves aren’t about cap space; they’re about roster fits and production.
Freeman, 31, suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the season-opening loss to the Falcons in September, which shut him down for the year. Later, he was suspended for 10 games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, his second suspension in as many seasons.
Signed to a three-year, $12 million contract in 2016, he was due to earn $3.5 million. Releasing him will clear $3.5 million in cap space. Freeman made 86 tackles and defended four passes in 2016.
While it’s highly unlikely the Bears will move on from all of the roster-bubble veterans, certainly more moves will follow as they shape their personnel for new coach Matt Nagy and his staff.
Quarterback Mike Glennon is not expected to return for a second year after losing his starting job a month into the 2017 season to first-round draft pick Mitch Trubisky. Releasing Glennon will create $11.5 million in salary-cap space, and the Bears are on the hook for $2.5 million in guarantees for him in 2018, but offset language could erase or at least reduce that figure, provided he is paid by another team.
The Bears made a miscalculation in signing Glennon to a three-year, $45 million contract, but in effect it was a series of three one-year deals, meaning they at least will not feel a major hit by releasing Glennon, who lost his job after committing eight turnovers in four games.
Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, 29, was Pace’s first major free-agent addition in 2015, but after a hot start in his first six games, injuries greatly diminished McPhee’s ability and production. He began the 2016 season on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing microfracture knee surgery and then had arthroscopic knee surgery at the outset of training camp last summer, forcing him out for all of training camp and preseason. A shoulder injury forced him to injured reserve in December, and the Bears are unlikely to pay him the $7.575 million he is owed this season. Releasing McPhee will create $7.075 million in cap space.
Wide receiver Markus Wheaton was rarely healthy last season. He was still rehabilitating from shoulder surgery when the Bears signed him to a two-year, $11 million deal that included $6 million guaranteed, all of it in 2017. Wheaton had his appendix removed during training camp, suffered a broken finger that required surgery when he returned and then a groin muscle injury that forced him out of three games in the middle of the season. He made just three receptions for 51 yards and played just 64 snaps in the final eight games he was active for. Wheaton is due $5 million this season and releasing him will clear that much in cap space.
Safety Quintin Demps, who turns 33 in June, has an uncertain future. The Bears have a promising free safety in Eddie Jackson, and Adrian Amos is coming off his finest season and entering a contract year. Demps, who was coming off a career-best season with the Texans in which he made six interceptions, was limited to three games with the Bears as he suffered a fractured left forearm. The Bears hoped Demps would return from injured reserve, but nerve damage in his arm following surgery complicated matters, and they wound up shutting him down. He is owed nearly $3.6 million, and releasing him will create $3.26 million in cap space.
Cornerback Marcus Cooper fell out of favor after starting the first four games, logging only 47 snaps the remainder of the season. The Bears figured he would emerge as their No. 1 cornerback after he made four interceptions opposite Patrick Peterson with the Cardinals in 2016, but he struggled, seemed to lose confidence and was relegated to backup duty when Kyle Fuller thrived. Cooper was signed to a three-year, $16 million contract with $6 million guaranteed. His base salary for 2018 is $5 million, $2 million of which becomes guaranteed March 16. Releasing Cooper would create $4.5 million in cap space.
Outside linebacker Willie Young, 32, played four games in 2017 before a torn triceps forced him to injured reserve. He is entering the final year of the extension he signed at the start of training camp in 2016. He is due $3.5 million in base salary and a $1 million roster bonus. Releasing Young would create $3.6 million in cap space. Young has been productive when healthy, which makes the Bears’ decision with him difficult — they have clear holes that need to be filled at the position.
Tight end Dion Sims did not produce in the passing game as much as the Bears expected when they signed him to a three-year, $18 million contract. He caught only 15 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown, but the passing game underperformed across the board and issues were wide-ranging. Sims is due a base salary of $6 million in 2018 with $4 million fully guaranteed. Releasing him could clear $5,666,666 in cap space.
bmbiggs@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @bradbiggs