Ever since they decided to trade up one spot at the top of the 2017 draft to select Mitchell Trubisky over the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, the Bears have been reduced to a national punchline. Even their one successful season since that draft ended in embarrassing fashion with what immediately became known as "the double doink." While the Bears have managed to post a 20-12 record since Ryan Pace hired Matt Nagy as the team's coach, you wouldn't know it based on the discourse that's enveloped the team over the past few years.
They have enough tight ends to field an entire offense! They traded FOR Nick Foles! They signed Jimmy Graham!
A lot of the criticisms are well deserved. Pace has made franchise-altering mistakes. But the criticisms also fail to do the Bears' roster justice. Outside of the quarterback position, which remains highly problematic even in the aftermath of the Foles acquisition, the Bears actually have a talented collection of players. Hence, how they managed to win 20 games over the past two seasons. The Bears are loaded at positions other than quarterback, particularly on defense.
With that in mind, we decided to take a look at five players on the Bears roster who represent the biggest salary-cap bargains. For as many awful signings Pace has made -- and there's been a few -- he's also done well to construct a roster that is good enough to win eight games without competent quarterback play, which is no easy feat. Bargains do, in fact, exist on the Bears roster.
Before we get to the five bargains, it's important to note that for the purposes of this article, we're only looking at the 2020 season. That means players like Eddie Jackson and Robert Quinn, both of whom have signed expensive long-term deals with the team, are eligible because they have relatively small cap hits in 2020. If this article examined salary cap bargains over the next five years, Quinn and Jackson wouldn't be on it. But because we're only looking at next season, they made the cut.
Just missed: James Daniels ($1,895,498), Anthony Miller ($1,460,100), Bilal Nichols ($824,870).
All cap figures via Spotrac.
1. S Eddie Jackson
2020 salary cap hit: $3,716,450
Already one of the league's best safeties at the age of 26, Jackson was rewarded in January with a contract extension that made him the highest-paid safety in football. His new deal pays him an average of $14.6 million per season. But he's still a bargain for one more year.
In 2020, Jackson carries a cap hit of only $3.7 million. That's an absolute steal for the Bears. For $3.7 million, they're getting a player who averages 49 solo tackles, 2.7 tackles for loss, 1.3 forced fumbles, 8.7 passes defended, and most importantly, 3.3 interceptions per season. In 2018, he was named a first-team All-Pro. While he wasn't able to maintain that level of production in 2019 as the entire Bears' defense regressed, he remained one of the league's best safeties on a still very good Bears defense. In a pass-happy league, he's one of the best safeties at generating takeaways -- evidenced by his six interceptions in 2018. He's managed to score three touchdowns in his career despite playing defense.
This will be the last season Jackson is considered a bargain. In 2021, his cap hit rises to $11.5 million. Still, the first three seasons of his career indicates that he'll be worth every penny in the years to come.
2. ILB Roquan Smith
2020 salary cap hit: $5,129,227
The No. 8 pick in the 2018 draft, Smith is entering the third year of his rookie contract, making him an easy pick here. Through two seasons, Smith has flashed the traits of a top-10 linebacker. He's averaging 111 combined tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, 3.5 passes defended, and one interception per season. Fast with great instincts, allowing him to track pass-catchers downfield and sideline to sideline, and an excellent blitzer, Smith is poised for a third-year breakout. And in his third season, he's only going to cost the Bears $5.1 million.
That's a bargain. Eventually, the Bears will need to pay Smith long-term money like they did with Jackson. But for now, as he plays out the final years of his rookie deal, Smith will remain one of the best values on the Bears' roster.
3. OLB Robert Quinn
2020 salary cap hit: $6,100,000
Signed to a five-year, $70 million deal in free agency, Quinn, 30, will likely turn out to be an overpay within a few seasons. But in the short term, he was a tremendous signing for the Bears, who needed another pass rusher opposite Khalil Mack after they struggled to consistently generate pressure in 2019. For as much attention as DeMarcus Lawrence has gotten in Dallas, it's Quinn who emerged as the Cowboys' best pass rusher last season with a team-high 11.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits. In his nine-year career, he's averaging 8.9 sacks per season. That'll work for a Bears defense that also has Mack, Akiem Hicks, and Eddie Goldman up front. Quinn's addition is why the Bears might have a better defense than they did in 2018.
Quinn is going to get pricey soon. In 2021, his cap hit balloons to $14.7 million. But in 2020, he only costs $6.1 million, making him a bargain in the short term.
4. S Tashaun Gipson
2020 salary cap hit: $750,000
Over the past couple seasons, it's been difficult for the Bears to identify a long-term partner at the safety position for Jackson. First, Adrian Amos bolted in free agency. Next, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix departed in free agency after only one season with the Bears. For a while, the Bears didn't make a move to replace Clinton-Dix, which made sense. The Bears didn't have much cap space this offseason. They couldn't afford any big names.
They wound up making a heady move in the second stage of free agency, getting Gipson to join them on a one-year deal that includes a cap hit of only $750,000. For a dependable veteran, it was an absolute steal and the exact kind of cheap deal the Bears needed. In Gipson, the Bears are getting a safety who is durable (he's missed two games over the past four seasons) and consistently solid (42 solo tackles, six passes defended, and 2.3 interceptions per season since 2016). Again, that's exactly what they needed.
In exercising patience in free agency, the Bears found a capable partner for Jackson at a perfect price.
5. ILB Danny Trevathan
2020 salary cap hit: $4,168,750
With both Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski on expiring contracts, the Bears made the decision to bring back Trevathan while letting Kwiatkoski sign a big deal with the Raiders in free agency. To retain Trevathan, the Bears actually didn't need to pay a huge price, giving him a three-year deal worth $21.8 million. For a linebacker of Trevathan's caliber -- not great, but always good -- that's a nice deal. He'll continue to pair excellently with Smith at inside linebacker. And in 2020, he'll only cost the Bears a little more than $4 million.
Since joining the Bears in 2016, Trevathan has played at a high level. The key is staying on the field. He's missed 18 games over the past four seasons. If he continues to miss games, the extension won't look so great. But if Trevathan finally stays on the field, he'll be a bargain at the price the Bears got him for. Without Kwiatkoski as a viable option behind him on the depth chart, there's increased pressure on Trevathan to play a full season. In 2018, the only time Trevathan has completed a 16-game season in Chicago, he racked up 102 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, two sacks, six passes defended, and two interceptions.
At full strength, he's a complete linebacker with no real glaring holes in his game. For Trevathan, it's all about staying on the field.