Chicago Bears Rumors: Team Expected to Make “Strong Bid” for Free Agent CB Stephon Gilmore
Recent Chicago Bears rumors have the team make a strong push for cornerback Stephon Gilmore in free agency.
The Chicago Bears figure to be one of the most active teams in free agency this off season. The Bears have no shortage of cap space and need to add talent to the roster.
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Besides quarterback, the Bears’ biggest positional need is probably at cornerback. They will likely be connected to all of the premium corners on the open market. However, Stephon Gilmore is a name that we have been hearing early and often.
His name has popped up again, this time from Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
"Based on conversations with many sources across the league, it sounds as if the Bears are expected to make a strong bid for Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore — a replacement addition to the Pro Bowl last season after a career-high five interceptions — and Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon, Biggs wrote."
We addressed the Glennon rumors from Biggs’ piece earlier, so let’s take a deeper look into Gilmore’s fit with the Bears. On the surface, this makes a ton of sense. The Bears have huge needs at the cornerback position and Gilmore is one of the best in the game.
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He is a true shutdown player on the outside who has a tendency to make big plays. Adding Gilmore in free agency would immediately make the Bears’ secondary a much better unit.
However, he is not going to come cheap. Expect any Bears’ deal with Gilmore to come in the $12-$14 million a year range. Gilmore is a great player, but that is a lot of money.
I could still see the contract being worth it, but there is certainly a ton of risk involved here. My biggest issue would be how it would affect the entire organization. Making a big play for Gilmore and Glennon would immediately put the Bears in win-now mode. I like a lot of the talent on this Bears’ roster, but I do not think that is the right play.
They should be taking a long-term approach. Spending huge in free agency is not a long-term approach. It is an approach that typically ends up being terrible for the organization.
Gilmore is an extremely talented player who would undoubtedly help the Bears immensely. However, that does not make signing him to a huge contract a wise decision. I guess we will just have to wait and see if these rumors come true.
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If these moves do happen, Ryan Pace and John Fox better get this thing turned around right away. If not, the Chicago Bears organization will likely go in another direction sooner, rather than later.