Chicago Bears News: Jimmy Graham considered retirement

The Chicago Bears were handcuffed this off-season with the moves that they could make as they were already near the salary cap when the off-season began. The Bears operated the off-season  with an addition by subtraction  approach as they would often cut a defensive player to make room for an offensive addition.

One candidate that had been considered to be a potential cap-casualty for the Bears this off-season was veteran tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham signed a two-year contract with the Bears prior to the 2020 season for a value of $16 million.

Last season for the Bears, Graham compiled only 456 receiving yards on the season on 50 receptions. Where Graham did perform for the Bears last season is in the red zone as he had a total of eight touchdowns with the team.

Despite his production in the red zone for the Bears last season, Graham was considered to be a potential cap casualty due to his $10 million cap hit for the 2021 season. The Bears’ coaching staff has quickly dispelled the notion that Graham was potential cap casualty as that was never discussed. While the Bears were planning on Graham returning for the 2021 season, the veteran tight end had second thoughts.

While speaking with reporters at Halas Hall on Tuesday, Graham revealed that he had considered retirement this off-season.

In an alternate universe that Graham retired this off-season, the move may have allowed the Bears to keep veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller. Fuller was cut by the Bears last March after he had refused to rework his contract. The reason why the Bears needed Fuller to rework his contract was to make room for veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. Fuller is now with the Denver Broncos while the Bears will now carry on with Graham on their roster.

The Chicago Bears offseason moves could have looked much different had veteran tight end Jimmy Graham went through with his consideration to retire.

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Graham’s role with the Bears’ 2021 offense will likely depend on the development of second-year tight end Cole Kmet.

Kmet did not factor into the Bears’ offense in 2020 until the end of the season. After failing to surpass 3 targets in a game for the first 11 games of the season last year, Kmet was targeted at least 5 times per game in 4 of the Bears’ final 5 games. Kmet’s best performance during the 2020 season was the final game of the regular season when he compiled 41 receiving yards on 7 receptions.

The Bears are going to need Kmet to take a step forward during the 2021 season otherwise Graham will once again be considered the primary tight end in the team’s offense. While Graham is still a threat in the end zone, his skills have regressed beyond the idea of him being considered a primary tight end in an offensive system. For a team that has spotty wide receiver depth, the Chicago Bears can not afford for the tight end position to be considered a weakness.