NFC North Free Agency: Chicago Bears additions and subtractions in 2020

As a lead up to the draft, Acme Packing Company will be tracking the offseason personnel changes for the rest of the NFC North. Today we begin with the Chicago Bears.

Fresh off a loss in the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles on a missed field goal, the Chicago Bears looked to bounce back in the 2019 NFL Season.

The hope was Mitch Trubisky would turn the corner and the team would be right back on top of the NFC North. The season did not unfold the way the Bears had hoped, which led to making some big changes in Free Agency on both sides of the ball.

Additions

QB Nick Foles

After a tough year for Mitchell Trubisky the Bears decided it was time to bring in another quarterback. Chicago sent a compensatory fourth-round draft pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. Foles’ contract is $24M over 3 years with $21M still fully guaranteed after a restructure of his contract.

Nick Foles and Matt Nagy have history, working together both with the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether or not Foles will be the starter going forward has yet to be seen, and it looks to be an open competition to lead the Bears offense in 2020.

OLB Robert Quinn

Former first round draft pick and 2-time Pro Bowler is heading from Dallas to Chicago to help bolster an already stout Chicago defense. The deal is worth $70 million over 5 years with 30 million guaranteed.

Quinn had a great year last year with the Cowboys at linebacker, and will contribute immediately to the Bears. Last season he recorded 11.5 sacks, 34 tackles and two forced fumbles.

TE Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham was released by the Packers and made his way across the southern border to Illinois. The deal is worth 16 million over two years, and includes a no-trade clause. The move came as a surprise to fans and people in the media, many of whom assumed Graham was set to retire.

However, the Chicago Bears see Jimmy Graham as an essential part of the offense going forward, and Jimmy Graham believes he still has a ton left in the tank.

Additional free agency signings include

• OLB Barkevious Mingo (Texans) - 1 year, $1,187,500
• TE Demetrius Harris (Browns) - 1 year, $1,650,000
• CB Artie Burns (Steelers) - 1 year, $1,047,500
• FT Germain Ifedi (Seahawks) - 1 year, $1,047,500
• S Jordan Lucas- (Chiefs) - 1 year, $1,000,000

Subtractions

OLB Leonard Floyd

Floyd is a former first round pick for the Bears who did not get brought back for a second contract. He is supposed to be signing with Los Angeles Rams, though the contract is not yet finalized.

ILB Nick Kwiatkoski

Kwiatkoski was mostly a rotation guy until injuries on the defense made him a bigger part of the scheme. When he got his chance he ultimately shined, but the Bears had to make decisions on who to keep in the offseason and ultimately stuck with Danny Trevathan. He signed a three-year, $21 million with the Las Vegas Raiders.

CB Prince Amukamara

He spent the last season as one of the top cornerbacks for the Bears. The Bears did not re-sign him, and he is looking elsewhere, most notably the New York Jets or the Denver Broncos.

WR Taylor Gabriel

Gabriel had a down year last year, and was sequentially not brought back by the bears after the season. He is currently a free agent who would make sense for a team looking a solid WR2.

OG Kyle Long

Kyle Long was a Chicago Bear fan favorite, who ended up retiring after the season.

Additional players lost in free agency include

• S Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix (Cowboys)
• QB Chase Daniel (Lions)
• DT Nicholas Williams (Lions)
• OLB Kevin Pierre-Louis (Washington)
• OT Cornelius Lucas (Washington)
• CB Sherrick McManis (Free Agent)
• OLB Aaron Lynch (Free Agent)
• TE Bradley Sowell (Free Agent)
• OG Ted Larsen (Free Agent)
• OT T.J. Clemmings (Free Agent)
• CB Joshua Simmons (Free Agent)

Re-signings

Below are the players the Bears re-signed to stay in Chicago:

• ILB Danny Trevathan
• LS Patrick Scales
• DE Brent Urban
• S DeAndre Houston-Carson
• S Deon Bush
• DE Roy Robertson-Harris
• OLB Isaiah Irving
• OG Rashaad Coward
• ILB Devante Bond
• TE J.P. Holtz