Chicago Bears (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
As the remaining four teams continue their quest for a Super Bowl, the Chicago Bears have been busy getting their offseason kicked into full swing.
Hiring a new general manager, Ryan Poles, has been the highlight thus far. Bringing Poles in from a successful background with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bears are now hoping his leadership can take the team to the next level.
Poles’ first responsibility is, of course, assembling a coaching staff. But, beyond that, he will have several decisions and responsibilities when it comes to re-shaping this roster over the next few months.
The Bears have a few free agents of their own which they must make decisions on. They also have a good amount of cap space to work with — roughly the 11th-most in the league at the moment.
New Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles could open up even more cap space by cutting ties with a few veterans.
Although the Bears have a decent amount of money to work with, Poles could also opt to try and acquire more cap space. There are a couple of ways he could do this.
First, he could choose to try and trade a player or two. Think about guys like Robert Quinn or Khalil Mack, who are absorbing a big chunk of the Bears’ salary cap going forward. Trading someone like Mack, for instance, would also net the team draft capital. That might be in the cards.
Second, Poles could opt to cut ties with some veterans in order to save some additional cap space. There are three players, in particular, whom the Bears could cut in order to save a total of roughly $12 million if they so choose.