The Bears Haven't Spent Much in Free Agency, But They've Spent Well

Another quiet day for the Chicago Bears on the free-agent front. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Splashing it up just for the sake of doing so isn’t prudent, but are the Bears being too passive?

Let’s examine the teams that have spent the most money during the first two days of the NFL’s legal negotiating period.

1. Falcons — $231M

2. Panthers — $175.5M

3. Vikings — $138M

4. Raiders — $135M

5. Packers — $134M

6. Commanders — $131.69M

7. Titans — $125M

8. Rams — $96M

9. Eagles — $93.54M

10. Patriots — $91.18M

Note: The above represents the amount of new total money spent on free agents this week and is current as of 6:00 PM ET on Tuesday.

Aside from the Packers, Rams, and Eagles, we have seven non-playoff teams with many holes to fill, spending at the top of the market early this week.

That’s why they say the “winner” of free agency is just that.

Would I have liked to have seen the Bears make one or two more moves? Sure. Calvin Ridley was high on my wishlist, but it seems like he prefers to remain in Jacksonville at this point. The Bears were in on Gabe Davis, and the money was similar to what he took from the Jaguars, but that was a preference thing for Davis.

I would have also liked to see them active in the second-tier centers, and I did have Bryce Huff circled as an edge rusher that I really liked for Chicago.

That being said, I really like what they have done thus far, and I don’t knock poles for being calculated, especially since the money that he has spent has been on players that fit his new offense under Shane Waldron and have been at a very good price point relative to the market.

For example, the Bears signed a very good running back with a very specific skillset that fits into a) Shane Waldron’s offense and b) the existing members of the Bears backfield share in D’Andre Swift.

Green Bay gave Josh Jacobs $48 million, and Philly gave Saquon Barkley $37.7 million. D’Andre Swift’s total money and guaranteed money came in lower than both Jacobs's and Barkley's by a healthy amount.

On Tuesday, Chicago signed former Chargers tight end Gerald Everett. I really like this signing at $12 million over two seasons but just $6.1 guaranteed. On Monday, the Rams signed Colby Parkinson to a three-year, $22 million deal with $15.5 guaranteed. Seattle gave Noah Fant $21 million over two years, and the Chargers gave Will Dissly $14 million over three years with $10 million guaranteed.