Chicago Bears: Is Alshon Jeffery Worth Elite WR Money?
Is Chicago Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery worth elite wide receiver money?
The Chicago Bears have a lot of work to do this off season. They need to drastically improve their roster if they expect to be competitive going forward. The Bears have a lot of cap space to work with, but there is one major player who they will undoubtedly be interested in bringing back.
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Alshon Jeffery is an unrestricted free agent this off season, and seems to be a fair bet to reach the open market, as the Bears are not interested in placing a franchise tag on him. The cap hit for tagging Jeffery would have been $17 million, so it is easy to see why the Bears passed on that option. However, it is now a very real possibility that he changes teams this off season.
Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears will undoubtedly be interested in bringing Jeffery back. As with all players, it will just depend on the cost. Jeffery will be looking for a big long-term deal this off season, and he could easily get it. But should the Bears be the ones giving him that kind of money?
Jeffery is an extremely difficult receiver to defend on the outside. He was an absolute beast back in 2013 and 2014, but those are the only years of his career that Jeffery has been able to stay healthy. He only played in eight games in 2015 and 12 games last season. Jeffery also dealt with a lot of nagging injuries the last two years that clearly held him back even when he was on the field.
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As a talent, Jeffery deserves to be paid like an elite-level receiver. He is a big and athletic target who is one of the most physically gifted receivers in the game. However, the injury concerns are for real.
If Jeffery gets $15 million per year on the open market, I hope the Bears are not the team giving it to him. A.J. Green makes $15 million a season, as the highest paid receiver in the NFL. Jeffery does not belong in that category.
He also does not belong with the likes of Julio Jones, Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas who all make $14 million or more a year. T.Y. Hilton gets $13 million per season with the Indianapolis Colts, but it is a relatively low guaranteed contract. That is probably the ballpark we are looking at here.
If the Bears can get Jeffery back on a four or five-year deal worth $12.5-$13 million per season and a relatively low guarantee, it is probably worth it. He is a dynamic player who can make a significant difference for this team. But he has not proved to be an elite-level wide receiver. He does not deserve to be paid with the likes of Green and Jones. The next level down perhaps, but not at that elite mark.
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He may not deserve it, but Jeffery very well could get that kind of money on the open market. Teams are not afraid to over-spend in free agency, and Jeffery is the kind of player who warrants that kind of activity.
That being said, the Chicago Bears need to hold firm. Blowing the bank for Jeffery will hurt this team in the long run. This team has too many needs to be spending elite receiver money on an injury prone player.