Alshon Jeffery’s bold statement impresses the Chicago Bears
Many felt Alshon Jeffery‘s bold statement was crazy talk. The Chicago Bears did not. They not only liked what he said, they also embraced the bold statement.
After the Chicago Bears ended the second-worst season in franchise history, not many players said much. They felt it better to just go away and start again next season. Alshon Jeffery was not one of them.
Jeffery went out on a LONG limb after the Bears limped to a 3-13 record. He made a statement that the word bold doesn’t do it justice. He actually claimed that the Bears, the CHICAGO BEARS, would win the Super Bowl. Not in a few years, but next year! Oh, he didn’t just claim it, he GUARANTEED it.
“I guarantee you we’re going to win the Super Bowl next year,” he told reporters after another debacle of a game last Sunday.
Many felt Jeffery’s guarantee was crazy talk. Going from 3-13 to Super Bowl winners? Well, something similar to that may happen this season. The 2015 Dallas Cowboys were 4-12. This season, they finished the regular season 13-3 and are one of the favorites to win it all.
Some don’t feel Jeffery’s statement is crazy at all. The Chicago Bears themselves, in fact, take what he said to heart.
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“My initial reaction was, ‘I like that he said that,'” Bears general manager Ryan Pace said. “That shows an important player on this team and how he feels about this locker room. I told you I talked to the players Monday; that was the common theme. We’ve done enough where you can tell there is genuine excitement about this locker room and a closeness about this team.”
Head coach John Fox, one who loves talk, also liked what Jeffery said. “You’ve got to think it and believe it before it happens.”
I think the most important piece in the statement is the word “we’re” he used. That gives off an impression that he wants to be here. That is something that wasn’t so evident. He can be a free agent, but the Bears could decide to use the franchise tag on him once again.
That would be pretty expensive.
If the Bears franchise him again, they pay Jeffery about $17.520 million. That is a big number, but the Bears have a lot of cap space this offseason, and with other cuts that could be made (I’m looking at you, Jay Cutler), they can absorb that salary and still have flexibility.
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If the Chicago Bears wanted a sign that Alshon Jeffery wanted to be a Bear, perhaps they got it on Sunday. That makes the bold statement not so crazy after all. Who knows, maybe he’ll be right.