The Chicago Bears paid an incredibly high price for defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, but the timing of the trade spend is just as important as what the team actually spent, particularly given two important developments involving Caleb Williams.
The first development is that Williams has become the star quarterback Chicago bet he could be when taking him No. 1 overall in 2024. His accuracy numbers are way up from Year 2 to Year 3, while his sack numbers and turnovers remain low. Williams’ grasp of head coach Ben Johnson’s offense coupled with the team’s ability to smash opponents with the NFL’s most effective run game through seven weeks makes the Bears true contenders.
Thus, while some media members criticized how much Chicago spent to land Simmons — its next two first-rounders and a fourth-round pick in 2028 — there is no denying that the Bears were already a legitimate threat in the NFC and are all the more dangerous now.
I still won’t go so far as to say this is them in win-now mode but I do think this is “look at the NFC right now, why can’t it be us?” mode.
“It’s an overpay. It’s the Khalil Mack trade 2.0. But the difference is that this time, the Bears have the quarterback. And the coach,” Carmen Vitali of FOX Sports posted to X on Thursday, October 29. “I still won’t go so far as to say this is them in win-now mode, but I do think this is ‘look at the NFC right now, why can’t it be us?’ mode.”
Bears Have Argument as Top NFC Contenders After Jeffrey Simmons Trade
Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron was a bit more bullish on Chicago’s aggressive approach to the trade deadline.
The 49ers look fantastic but are also incredibly banged up.
The Seahawks’ offense has taken a big step back from last year.
The Vikings have the best defense but also one of the worst
The #Bears might be the most well-rounded team in the NFC after trading for Jeffery Simmons.
The 49ers look fantastic but are also incredibly banged up.
The Seahawks‘ offense has taken a big step back from last year.
The Vikings have the best defense but also one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
The Packers and Lions have both been very inconsistent, and the Rams haven’t lived up to expectations.
Chicago has a very real chance to win the NFC.
While Simmons is under contract through 2030 on a $106 million deal, Infante also noted that his number on the Bears’ cap sheet is only going to be $11 million next season, despite a base salary of nearly $21.5 million, because of the timing of his recent extension.
And that brings us to Williams development No. 2, which is his looming extension eligibility in January.
Caleb Williams’ Next Contract Will Make Spending Big Money on Players Like Jeffrey Simmons More Difficult for Bears
Williams is in the third year of his rookie contract, which is four seasons long. The Bears can also exercise a fifth-year team option on his deal for 2028 and have until May 2027 to do so, which is essentially a guarantee at this point.
After that, Williams is going to sign a contract that will probably pay him at least $60 million annually over a five-year deal. That means Chicago will commit at least $300 million to its franchise QB on paper, with the majority of that fully guaranteed.
Making the move sooner than later will save the Bears money, as the QB market tends only to push upwards with each passing year, and the contract he signs won’t kick in until 2029.
Spending on a player like Simmons now makes sense because a couple of years down the road, Chicago is going to have considerably less cap space available. And by taking on just $11 million in 2027 by adding Simmons, Chicago can still overhaul its defense and spend aggressively to add talent around him.
The Bears can trim $49.5 million off their 2027 cap by cutting or trading Grady Jarrett, Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo next spring — all of whom will be entering the final years of their respective contracts. Even subtracting Simmons’ $11 million, that leaves $38.5 million to add talent to a unit that will get safety Coby Bryant back healthy after a season-ending knee surgery in August.
Vitali asserted that Chicago perhaps isn’t in full win-now mode with the Simmons deal. Maybe that’s true, maybe not. But the Bears have set themselves up to go all in this year and the next two seasons before Williams’ price tag makes winning a title that much more difficult.
Bears’ Jeffrey Simmons Trade Response to 2 Big Caleb Williams Developments