Bears match Packers’ 4-year, $56M offer sheet for Kyle Fuller, per report

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

On Friday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers signed Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller to an offer sheet. Fuller, who was given the transition tag prior to the opening of free agency, reportedly signed an offer sheet from Green Bay worth $56 million over four years with $18 million guaranteed.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the Bears elected to match the offer, as was their right due to the transition tag. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news that the Bears will do so, keeping Fuller in a Bears uniform for the next four years.

All told, this is only about $5 million more guaranteed than Fuller would have received in 2018 under the tag, as that carried a $12.9 million salary for 2018 alone. That likely all comes as a signing bonus, which spreads out $4.5 million in salary cap dollars over each of the four years of the contract. With that structure in mind, the Bears could feasibly get out of the deal after two years if they so choose, eating about $9 million in dead money for 2020 and presumably saving a significant cap hit.

For now, this means that the Packers are back to square one in their search for help at the cornerback position. Rashaan Melvin, the team’s most recent target prior to Fuller, signed with the Oakland Raiders on Friday afternoon and is off the market. The team will likely have to shift its attention to players like E.J. Gaines, Davon House, and Tramon Williams in the coming days.