Chicago Bears: Ryan Pace thinking big picture with free agents

Many have questioned Ryan Pace’s methods in offering transition tags and tenders to his free agents this spring. But what he’s doing might improve the odds that these players might stay with the Chicago Bears long-term.

I get it: Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace is doing things with this year’s free agent group that you’re not used to. And on the surface, maybe it seems like it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

After all, until this season, no one was really that familiar with the transition tag around these parts. I admit that I had to do some reading up on it myself when Pace slapped a transition tag on Kyle Fuller.

Why not the franchise tag, which would’ve kept other teams from signing Fuller to an offer sheet, many asked? And that’s a fair question.

Another perfectly reasonable inquiry: why did Pace opt to put an original round tender worth $1.9 million on Cameron Meredith rather than a more prohibitive $2.9 million second-round tender?

Isn’t Pace just asking for trouble here, inviting teams to come in and make a wild offer that would steal their players away?

Does he not know how to value his players and just counting on other teams to figure out the numbers for him, thereby putting himself and the Bears at a disadvantage?

With all due respect, I think that those lines of thinking are really missing the big-picture points of what Pace is trying to accomplish here.

First off, you had better believe that Pace and the Bears definitely contacted Fuller and Meredith before signing them to these tenders regarding what numbers they were thinking about paying. If you don’t believe that, then you must believe that Pace is a special kind of incompetent. Whether you like or dislike his moves, I don’t think he’s earned that opinion.

Second of all, playing hardball with players, throwing them a contract and saying “take it or leave” is not the only way to play this game. Try running a franchise that way and see how many free agents you’re able to attract/keep in town.

In that sense, Pace’s approach may very well benefit the Chicago Bears long-term with their free agent moves.

For Fuller, and hopefully for Meredith, the Bears knew well that signing players to transition-style deals would invite offers. But they also knew that those offers likely wouldn’t exceed anything they’d want to pay. Plus, it gives the players a chance to go out and maximize their earning potential while keeping them under a semblance of control.

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In Meredith’s case especially, assuming he does re-sign with the Bears, how does signing him to a $3 million deal and taking away his right to negotiate help the goal of potentially keeping him here beyond 2018?

While I can’t speak for Meredith personally, I imagine that type of situation would be a bit insulting.

Sure, telling these players to seek the best deal they can get and matching it might slightly inconvenience the Chicago Bears in some ways—maybe they have to fork up more guaranteed money than they want to, or that money is staggered in ways they wouldn’t have drawn up.

But it shows these free agents two things: that Pace respects their right to get paid as much as they can and that the Bears have no problem investing in them if they want to keep them around.

Pace is paying that little bit of extra money for the goodwill and respect of his players. For one thing, he has the cap space to do that. And moreover, he’s trying to make the Chicago Bears a franchise people want to play for.

Next: Chicago Bears offensive projections for 2018

This man isn’t tossing nickels around like manhole covers. He’s showing that he values good investments and that he understands that this process is deeper than money. And the way he’s running things, if it pays off, will keep this franchise running strong for years to come.

Don’t be surprised if teams start emulating Pace’s model in the coming years.