Getty Will the Chicago Bears re-sign Leonard Floyd?
With each passing day, the 2020 Chicago Bears roster is taking more shape. The team secured the services of starting linebacker Danny Trevathan last week, and in its most recent move, tendered reserve defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris.
One of the biggest decisions general manager Ryan Pace has remaining is whether or not to pay the $13.2 million price tag attached to former first-round pick, linebacker Leonard Floyd.
After Robertson-Harris’ second-round tender, the Bears committed to paying him 3.4 million for the upcoming season. Here’s how that decision could impact whether or not Leonard Floyd remains a Chicago Bear.
Leonard Floyd Contract Details: Would LB Be Willing to Make Less Money?
The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs thinks that while Chicago may like Floyd, it could come down to a simple business decision.
“The Bears aren’t necessarily down on Floyd, but it’s possible Pace and the coaching staff believe they can replace him with a substantially cheaper starter at a position where the club lacks depth — perhaps with a player who offers more pass-rushing ability. That would allow the Bears to earmark leftover resources for other areas of need,” Biggs wrote.
The question about whether Floyd will become a salary cap casualty has been asked all offseason, and other teams have noticed. According to Biggs, the status of Floyd is being “closely watched” by the rest of the league, but what others are willing to pay Floyd is difficult to gauge.
Is it possible the linebacker out of Georgia is willing to take a pay cut? If so, the odds of Chicago keeping him would very likely increase.
The tendering of Robinson-Harris may be a clue about the team’s plans. Robertson-Harris started seven games in 2019 after starter Akiem Hicks was injured, and while his numbers were slightly down this season, he still has been a solid contributor, and the team has shown they value him.
They have yet to make a decision on Floyd, but paying him $13.2 million for his recent production seems like a drastic overpay. Pace still may do it, of course, but there could be cheaper options in the draft and/or free agency.
And, if safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s recent tweet is any indicator, the team is likely to re-sign him soon, which is another chunk of money going to other players. Since the Bears don’t have much cap space to work with, it’s looking more and more like Floyd could be playing elsewhere next season.
Pace Has Been High on Floyd Recently, However…
Floyd has 18.5 sacks in his first four years with the Bears. He also has three fumble recoveries, two safeties, and one forced fumble in that time. Floyd had career lows in sacks (three) and tackles for loss (three) in 2019, but despite his numbers being low for a former top 10 pick, Pace has spoken of Floyd largely in glowing terms.
“I think Leonard wants to be more productive as a pass rusher,” Pace said when he met with the media at the scouting combine in late February. “We want him to be more productive there too. He’s close in a lot of areas when you look at the pressures and those things. He just needs to finish a little better on the quarterback. But I think when you’re evaluating him, you have to factor in everything.”
Pace then went on to suggest that Floyd may have increased value to the team due to his versatile skill set.
“We consider him our ‘Sam’ outside linebacker, so we value what he can do in coverage and think sometimes that goes a little underrated for what he does in that area. Not many outside linebackers can drop in coverage like he does. So, that’s a factor,” Pace said.
So, it seems Biggs is correct: the Bears certainly aren’t down on Floyd by any means; they value his contributions. But Pace also acknowledged Floyd needs to “be more productive” while adding he needed to finish better, so it’ll be interesting to see if Pace wants to shell out over $13 million for a fifth-year defender who is still a work in progress in some areas.
Again, if Floyd might be willing to take a slight pay cut as part of a restructured deal that included a new contract, that would be ideal for the Bears, but it’s highly unlikely Floyd wants to be paid less. It’s also entirely possible Pace is not yet willing to part with another first-round draft pick who has underperformed.
Releasing him would increase the Bears cap space to just under $36 million, though, so Pace is likely strongly considering it.
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