Favorites Free Agent. Bears Emerging as Favorites to Sign Top Free Agent This Offseason
Spending big to make an impact.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the scene: It’s early March, winter feels endless, and you’ve already forgotten who won the Super Bowl. Did it even happen this year? Hard to say. There are whispers that warmer days are coming, but that seems doubtful.
Then, like the first hint of spring, the news breaks—Adam Schefter reports that the Bears have reached a deal with star free-agent guard Trey Smith, formerly of the Chiefs. Free agency just opened, yet Chicago has already made a major move. NFL front offices sure work fast.
Suddenly, the Bears are the talk of free agency. A Masters commercial plays in the background. Life feels good again.
The best part? This scenario seems highly likely to become reality. Chicago has been strongly linked to Smith, especially after the Chiefs opted not to use the franchise tag on him. According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, the Bears are in a prime position to land Smith when free agency begins. Speaking with Chicago’s 670 The Score, Taylor explained:
Bears Aggressively Pursuing Chiefs’ OL Trey Smith
“I think the Bears have the best chance, outside of the Chiefs, to sign him in free agency,” Taylor said. “It’ll be fascinating to see how talks unfold next week at the Combine. You could argue Smith is just as good—if not better—than the highest-paid right guards in the league. That means a contract in the range of $22-24 million, which was roughly the franchise tag amount the Chiefs weren’t willing to commit to while negotiating a long-term deal.”
If the Bears truly have the inside track, it’s a big deal. The team urgently needs offensive line help, and while making Smith the highest-paid right guard in the league isn’t a perfect solution, two things are clear: Chicago needs talent, and the money isn’t coming out of fans’ pockets. Winning the offseason may not last forever, but it sure is fun while it does.
