Getty OL James Daniels of the Chicago Bears has been projected to earn a $50 million contract extension in 2022.
James Daniels has played in 52 games for the Chicago Bears since the team selected him in the 2nd round (39th overall) in the 2018 NFL draft.
The versatile young offensive lineman has played center, right guard and left guard for Chicago in his four seasons with the team, providing both a durable and solid presence on the line. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Daniels is in the final year of his four-year, $6,950,156 million contract with the Bears, and he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022.
Salary cap expert Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus projected end-of-season extensions for some of the league’s top pending free agents, including Daniels, revealing approximately how much the Bears could shell out in order to retain the o-lineman’s services for the next several years.
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Spielberger Projects Daniels Will Sign $50 Million Extension
Citing Daniels’ young age (he’s only 24) and potential on the line, Spielberger broke down why the young OL will be worth around $50 million if or when the Bears choose to extend him. Here’s his logic and assessment:
Daniels played the majority of his snaps at left guard in 2018 and earned a 69.8 pass-block grade. In 2019, Daniels played almost equal snaps at center and left guard, earning a 67.0 pass-block grade as a center and 73.9 as a left guard. After injuries knocked him out for most of the 2020 season, Daniels now has a 68.1 pass-block grade as a full-time right guard. Sometimes things don’t have to be too complicated: Daniels is going to provide a team with above average play at all three interior spots, and he will still be 24 years old in Week 1 of 2022. The 2018 second-rounder will likely be younger than a handful of players in the 2022 Draft, and he is still brimming with potential.
Looking at the comparable contracts signed by Shaq Mason of the New England Patriots and and Graham Glasgow of the Denver Broncos, Spielberger has Daniels projected to sign a five-year, $50 million deal ($10M per year), with $24 million total guaranteed.
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Can Bears Afford to Keep Daniels?
Per Spotrac, Chicago is projected to have around $42,879,465 of cap space in 2022.
If the Bears unload several hefty contracts on the defensive side of the ball (letting Eddie Goldman and Danny Trevathan walk would free up $16 million alone), keeping Daniels around would definitely be doable — and advisable — for Chicago. As Spielberger noted, Daniels is young with plenty of room to grow, and he has been an underrated presence on the line for the Bears at times this season.
He has a 68.6 overall grade and a 69.1 run blocking grade from PFF so far this season, playing 973 snaps at right guard. He has moved around on the line quite a bit in his tenure with the Bears, and staying in one spot for more than one season would surely benefit him.
The Bears have plenty of needs, including another o-lineman, a WR and some help in the secondary, and they’ll need to extend linebacker Roquan Smith, as well — but if they release a few aging veterans, they should be able to keep Daniels around for the foreseeable future, too. If they don’t pay up, it’s clear another team will.
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