Da Windy City
Fansided

Failed Bears Signing About to Play Final Game Before Being Cut

This Bears player can expect to be one of Chicago's first offseason cuts.

By Jason Schandl

Oct 13, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Chicago Bears tight end Gerald Everett (14) during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images
Oct 13, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Chicago Bears tight end Gerald Everett (14) during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images / Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit

When the Chicago Bears travel to Lambeau to take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, fans know they'll be watching certain players wearing their Bears uniforms for the final time. An obvious example is Keenan Allen, who has all but admitted he'll be looking to sign somewhere else when his contract expires and makes him a free agent in March.

But some players will be more surprising. Just because someone is technically under contract with the Bears beyond this season doesn't mean that will actually play out. The team clearly needs to make some significant changes, and that means cutting underperforming players to free up roster space.

That's why Sunday will be Gerald Everett's final game as a Bear.

Gerald Everett is a Top Bears Cut Candidate This Offseason

Gerald Everett has one more season on the 2-year, $12 million contract he signed with the Bears ahead of the 2024 season, but there's no chance Chicago should let him play that out.

Everett, who was supposed to complement Cole Kmet at tight end, has been one of the worst players on the entire team in 2024. Despite his sizable contract, he's only played 23% of the available offensive snaps in his 16 games this season — and the majority of those chances came in the first half of the year. Since Week 11 he's been under 10% in four of six contests.

If you've seen him on the field, it's not hard to understand why the coaching staff refuses to play him. Consider that he has averaged only 2.8 yards per target when thrown to as a receiver — a mark that 11 different Bears (including three running backs) are beating. Stats don't capture the struggles, but he's been no better as a blocker than as a receiver either.

Altogether, PFF has given him an overall grade of 43.8 on the year. That's the worst mark for any Bear with over 200 snaps played, and it ranks 73rd among 75 qualifying tight ends leaguewide.

So even if his contract weren't an issue, he'd probably be gone. But once we factor in the $6.5 million cap hit he's supposed to carry in 2025? It would frankly be malpractice to keep him around. Thanks to the structure of his deal, the Bears would only incur $1 million of dead money against the salary cap for releasing him — freeing up $5.5 million in space. That would be more than enough to find a suitable upgrade.

More Chicago Bears news and analysis:

feed

Home/Chicago Bears