Bears' Top Players to Avoid in 2021 NFL Free Agency

The Chicago Bears were a playoff team in 2020, albeit an underwhelming one. Their 8-8 record was good enough for a postseason berth and to justify the return of head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. However, Chicago must do better in 2021 for the current regime to survive.

Improving on its 8-8 record will likely require Chicago to have a successful offseason. The first order of business will be finding an answer at the quarterback position. Pending free agent Mitchell Trubisky has not proved himself to be a long-term answer, and the Bears should be eager to find an upgrade—though journeyman Nick Foles remains an option.

"He was a leader in the room as a starter or as a backup," Pace said of Foles, per Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The problem is that the Bears are projected to be over the salary cap. They'll need to clear cap room just to navigate the offseason, and spending on the wrong free agents could result in disaster. Here, we'll examine three players who Chicago shouldn't chase when free agency kicks off on March 17.

Financially, quarterback Cam Newton could make sense for the Bears. Chicago needs a new signal-caller, and Newton is likely to be one of the cheaper established starters on the open market. He played on a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the New England Patriots last season.

However, the Bears also need a quarterback who can lift the passing offense in ways that Trubisky and Foles could not. That's not Newton, who passed for a mere 2,657 yards with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2020.

Newton could be an adequate—and inexpensive—placeholder for Chicago, but that probably won't be enough. Chicago's playoff window is open now, and spending another season trying to re-establish a quarterback shouldn't be part of the Bears' game plan.

And if the Bears aren't going to add a quarterback who can help them win now, they need to target one who can be a long-term piece of the future. Again, that's not the 31-year-old Newton.

The Bears have a tough decision to make with wideout Allen Robinson II. Robinson established himself as a true No. 1 wideout in 2020, amassing 1,250 receiving yards despite getting subpar quarterback play from Trubisky and Foles.

However, Robinson is looking at a hefty payday in free agency, and Chicago doesn't have the cap room to compete in a bidding war. Clearing cap and using the franchise tag could be an option, but the Bears may instead look for a new No. 1 receiver.

The Bears should not look to Pittsburgh Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster to fill that role. While the 24-year-old is unquestionably a talented pass-catcher, he hasn't put up No. 1 receiver numbers since Antonio Brown departed Pittsburgh.

Perhaps more importantly, Smith-Schuster doesn't fit Chicago's cap situation. He's projected to have a market value of $16.1 million annually. If the Bears are going to spend that kind of money, they would be better off just franchise-tagging Robinson.

While the Bears may be willing to give Foles another opportunity in 2021, they should be willing to let Trubisky walk away. He wasn't a complete disaster in 2020—he had a passer rating of 93.5—and could make more sense in the short-term than a player like Newton.

"Mitch isn't the worst thing in the world," Chris Simms said on Pro Football Talk (h/t Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire).

However, the Bears know what they have in Trubisky and what he can be in Nagy's offense. At best, he's a game-manager who can help the Bears reach the postseason. At worst, he's a quarterback who won't push the ball down the field and who leaves Chicago with nine points in a postseason game.

And the prospect of running it back with Trubisky becomes even less enticing if Chicago cannot keep Robinson in the fold. It's time for the Bears to turn the page at quarterback, even if it creates a question mark at the position.

In this particular case, the unknown should be more attractive than the familiar.