One of the challenges facing the Chicago Bears and the rest of the NFL in 2021 is the salary cap, which will be lowered after the financial losses due to COVID-19.
The NFL and NFLPA previously negotiated a $ 175 million parquet for the salary cap. But the two sides reached an agreement to raise the word to $ 180 million, which gives the teams a little more leeway. While that’s not the final amount (ESPN believes it could reach $ 185 million), which will likely be announced in March, it gives teams an idea of what the salary cap will be.
But what does that mean for the Chicago Bears in 2021?
If the wage cap is maintained, the Bears will be $ 2.5 million above the cap in 2021, according to Over The Cap. That means general manager Ryan Pace will have to make some decisions about restructuring bids and downsizing players to free up space.
“We need to be aware,” Pace said of the salary cap situation in January. “Obviously, as you know every year, there are ways to create maximum space and these are important decisions we have to make.
“Start with that, evaluating our own list and talking (about) some of these things. That’s real.”
Some possible casualties are the closed Jimmy Graham ($ 7 million), the right attack Bobby Massie ($ 5.4 million), the left Charles Leno ($ 6.2 million), the corner Buster Skrine ($ 2.7 million) and receiver Anthony Miller ($ 1.2 million)
Given that the Bears have about 30 free agents this offseason, Pace has his job cut out for him, mostly because some of those free agents should be a priority, including receivers Allen Robinson and Cordarrelle Patterson, as well as the kicker Cairo Santos.