Chicago Bears should be buyers of Markus Goldenon March 13, 2020 at 12:00 pm

Why is that important? Well, because Golden reunited with Bettcher in New York this past season where he recorded another 10 sacks in 16 games. In other words, Bettcher has figured out how to unlock the talent and potential that made Golden a second-round pick in 2015. If Chuck Pagano and the defensive staff can utilize Golden in the same way Bettcher has, he could flourish on the edge opposite Khalil Mack, and alongside Akiem Hicks.

Quarterback pressure out of the edge position opposite Mack would be a welcomed addition to the team, who has struggled to get former top-ten pick Leonard Floyd to live up to his draft-day expectations. While the familiar refrain from Floyd supporters is his ability to drop in coverage and “do the little things” that is not why you draft an edge rusher that high. Moreover, it’s not why you pay him $13.2 million for 2020, which is what the Bears will do if they don’t rescind his fifth-year option.

There has been some scuttlebutt that the Bears are considering rescinding the option, which would save them money, but creat an obvious hole on the roster. Will they do that? The answer is, ‘only if they feel they can replace his production for less money.’

While Golden has a projected market value of $13.5 million according to Spotrac, any team negotiating with him will have to take into account his inconsistency. In that regard, perhaps the Bears could get that number down a bit to say $9 million per year. That would save the Bears $4.2 million and potentially give them more production from a pass-rush perspective.

The Bears could also try to sign a new deal with Floyd, lowering his AAV, but if not, it will be hard to justify the $13.2 million price tag. If they choose to rescind, Golden needs to get serious consideration as a replacement.