Chicago Bears 2017 free agency: Eric Berry by the numbers
Eric Berry may be the best defensive back in free agency. Many teams will inquire about him, but with deep pockets and an opportunity to turn things around, the Chicago Bears could be a landing spot.
The Chicago Bears continually have trouble finding a good combination of safeties for their defense. It seems the NFL draft is an annual “who will play safety now” event.
The Bears find something in Adrian Amos, so they do have one. There are some others who are still young and may turn out well in the future, but none on the roster is ready to take over as a consistent and dependable starter. For that reason, they may find their man via free agency.
That man could be Eric Berry.
Many view Berry as the best safety on the market. After playing a season under the franchise tag, he says he won’t do it again. That puts the pressure on the Kansas City Chiefs, his current team, to come to an agreement on a long-term deal.
The problem for the Chiefs is that they don’t have much salary cap space. According to Overthecap.com, hey currently have about $3.5 million in cap space. They have a decision looming on Jamaal Charles, but even if they cut him, their space goes up to about $9.1 million.
More from Da Windy City
- 3 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks shootout loss to Nashville
- Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
- The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
- Chicago Bears quietly compiling list of head coaching candidates
- Chicago White Sox News: Erick Fedde signs two-year deal
The Chiefs spent some good money on building their excellent defense. Now, however, they need to pony up to maintain it. They also have to come up with money to sign defensive tackle Dontari Poe. That is a tall order, and it seems that one or the other will leave Kansas City.
On the other hand, the Chicago Bears enter the free agency with some of the deepest pockets around. Thanks to some creative contracts, general manager Ryan Pace and the Bears front office have an incredible amount of money to use. They have about $54 million available, with a likelihood of going up a great deal more.
For example, the Bears will likely part ways with Jay Cutler. They could also say goodbye to Eddie Royal, who missed 14 games in his two seasons played in Chicago. If the Bears cut just those two salaries, their space increases to over $71 million.
Spotrac,com sets Berry’s market value at about four years at about $36.6 million. That is a workable contract for the Bears.
Next: Jets not interested in Jay Cutler
This is a critical time for Pace and the Chicago Bears. Coming out of a 3-13 season, and missing the playoffs in nine of their last ten seasons, it is time to change things. That change needs to happen quickly, too. Signing Eric Berry goes a long way to making that change happen.