Getty Germain Ifedi is heading to the Bears.
It is no surprise that the Seattle Seahawks moved on from former first-round pick Germain Ifedi, but it is the offensive lineman’s new contract with the Chicago Bears that is turning heads. Ifedi signed a one-year deal with a base salary of less than $1 million, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
“Germain Ifedi’s one-year deal with the Bears if for the veteran salary benefit: $137,500 to sign, a $910,000 base salary with a cap number of $887,500. A wise value add for the Bears for a 25-year old that has started 60 games already,” Yates reported on Twitter.
Ifedi was projected to have more of a market, but other NFL teams seemed to have been as down on the offensive lineman as the Seahawks. Sports Illustrated’s Corbin Smith admitted he expected Ifedi to command a salary in the $8 to $10 million range.
“Even when he wasn’t signed for a week. I thought 8-10 range. The tackle market in general was deflated for most part. Have to believe incoming draft class played a role… tons of good tackle prospects…I’m still… stunned by what Ifedi got paid. And I would have been matching that in a heartbeat if I was Seattle. A fifth of the price for Shell?!…It clearly shows where the organization stood – and what they thought of him after four seasons – not to pay him that. Just can’t believe that price point,” Smith noted in a series of tweets.
Ifedi Is Expected to Compete to Be the Bears’ Starting Right Guard
Ifedi may not have found the contract he expected, but he will still be competing for a starting spot on the Bears’ offensive line. Bears head coach Ryan Pace noted that Ifedi will compete at right guard next season.
“Pace says #Bears envision free-agent signee Germain Ifedi competing at right guard position. Ifedi played right guard as a rookie with Seahawks in 2016 and right tackle past three seasons,” Chicago Bears’ writer Larry Mayer tweeted.
The Seahawks Signed 4 Offensive Linemen in Free Agency
The Seahawks may still be awaiting Jadeveon Clowney’s decision, but that did not stop them from revamping the offensive line. Despite opting not to re-sign Ifedi, the Seahawks signed four new offensive linemen. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll previously sounded optimistic about the Seahawks’ offensive line at the end of last season, but the team clearly felt that it needed to upgrade the position group this offseason.
“We have made good progress,” Carroll told The News Tribune at the end of the 2019 season. “We have really good young guys, a couple guys got banged up this year that you haven’t seen a whole lot: Jordan Simmons, Knox, those guys coming back, the competition will really be good. Jamarco did well. To see Phil play like that, too, that was really, really helpful for us going forward. I think the whole group could be a really solid group coming back. I would like to see the guys who have been playing for us to stay with us.”
The hope is that the new additions can add depth to the offensive line. The more Russell Wilson is able to stay upright, the better chance the Seahawks’ offense has of putting up even more points in 2020.
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