Chicago Bears: 5 players who may not return in 2021

1. Tight End Jimmy Graham

When the Bears first signed veteran tight end Jimmy Graham, most fans were somewhat perplexed. Leading up to the free agency period, the majority of fans like myself thought Chicago would go after either Austin Hooper or Eric Ebron to fill the major void at tight end.

But, the Bears signed Graham to a 2-year deal worth $16 million, with $9 million guaranteed. While Graham is not the exciting, downfield threat he was with the Saints, he does bring plenty of leadership and experience at the position.

For Chicago, that’s likely what they were looking for all along, knowing they would take a rookie tight end with high capital in this year’s draft — which they did, in Cole Kmet.

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Personally, I don’t see Graham more than just a band-aid for one season. Allowing Kmet to get his feet under him and then moving on to younger guys at the position would make sense, especially because the Bears could save a few million dollars. If they cut ties with Graham after just one year, he would only count $3 million in dead cap for 2021.

This is an ideal world, actually. Seeing Kmet develop quickly as a rookie and giving the team confidence to move forward with he and another name in 2021 would be a great scenario for Pace and the Bears.