Thread: Bears Still Have $24 mil in Cap Space........

Well, Osi is no longer available on the market, so there goes that.

It's been 25 years since we've won a SB. I see too many worried about giving up picks for proven players and the window is closing for players like Urlacher etc. I don't agree .... you strike while the iron is hot. I'd trade 1 SB for 5yrs of last place finishes, or even 2nd place finishes for that matter..... what good is not winning the SB ? What good is just being in the playoffs ? WHAT are they WAITING for ?

Originally Posted by Blue Horse-shoe

It's been 25 years since we've won a SB. I see too many worried about giving up picks for proven players and the window is closing for players like Urlacher etc. I don't agree .... you strike while the iron is hot. I'd trade 1 SB for 5yrs of last place finishes, or even 2nd place finishes for that matter..... what good is not winning the SB ? What good is just being in the playoffs ? WHAT are they WAITING for ?

I think the main reason the Bears and other teams don't want to give up those 1st round picks is that the rookie salary scale now makes those guys a much less expensive proposition than before. The value of a first round pick, especially a top ten pick, has gone up quite a bit now that teams no longer have to pay out those huge guarantees to uproven players.

Osi is 29 years old and has an injury issue. He also says he's looking for a contract in the neighborhood of the 6yr/$72 mil deal the Panthers gave Charles Johnson. Jason Babin is the same age as Osi. He had 12.5 sacks last years and he's healthier. He just signed a 5yr/$28.5 mil deal with Philly. Several teams who expressed an initial interest in Osi would not give up a 1st for him a passed.

The way it looks is that the Giants won't get a first for him and Osi won't get a $72 mil deal so his holdout continues at a cost to him of $30k per day.

Originally Posted by soulman

I think the main reason the Bears and other teams don't want to give up those 1st round picks is that the rookie salary scale now makes those guys a much less expensive proposition than before. The value of a first round pick, especially a top ten pick, has gone up quite a bit now that teams no longer have to pay out those huge guarantees to uproven players.

Osi is 29 years old and has an injury issue. He also says he's looking for a contract in the neighborhood of the 6yr/$72 mil deal the Panthers gave Charles Johnson. Jason Babin is the same age as Osi. He had 12.5 sacks last years and he's healthier. He just signed a 5yr/$28.5 mil deal with Philly. Several teams who expressed an initial interest in Osi would not give up a 1st for him a passed.

The way it looks is that the Giants won't get a first for him and Osi won't get a $72 mil deal so his holdout continues at a cost to him of $30k per day.

Some players have unrealistic expectations like Osi. But the players I'm talking about are guys like Asante Samuel who , due to circumstances , are " gettable "and still in his prime. You said he doesn't fit the system. That may make sense for Dlinemen and some linebackers and runningbacks. I don't buy it when it comes to corners and wideouts. And this is the kind of trade that I'm talking about and often the kind that the Bears don't make. I disagree that Samuel wouldn't be a playmaker, and if he was on this team the other starting CB spot would be a no brainer, and we wouldn't be wasting our time with the Zach Bowmans of the world. Like I said ... they waste time doing some of the things they could do that would make this team better. Aaron Rodgers would have a harder time vs. Samuel than any other corner currently on this team, and that includes Tillman.
Or I guess they're content with being "competitive" ... after all .... it makes them look good and they keep their jobs. No balls = no SB. That's my 2cents .... and it ain't changing.

Originally Posted by Blue Horse-shoe

Some players have unrealistic expectations like Osi. But the players I'm talking about are guys like Asante Samuel who , due to circumstances , are " gettable "and still in his prime. You said he doesn't fit the system. That may make sense for Dlinemen and some linebackers and runningbacks. I don't buy it when it comes to corners and wideouts. And this is the kind of trade that I'm talking about and often the kind that the Bears don't make. I disagree that Samuel wouldn't be a playmaker, and if he was on this team the other starting CB spot would be a no brainer, and we wouldn't be wasting our time with the Zach Bowmans of the world. Like I said ... they waste time doing some of the things they could do that would make this team better. Aaron Rodgers would have a harder time vs. Samuel than any other corner currently on this team, and that includes Tillman.
Or I guess they're content with being "competitive" ... after all .... it makes them look good and they keep their jobs. No balls = no SB. That's my 2cents .... and it ain't changing.

I will say this. Asante Samuel, for all of his good qualities, is no Nnamdi Asomugha. I think he can play in the system we run. He probably won't come as expensive as Osi Umenyiora would, so I don't really "get" why we wouldn't at least consider pulling the trigger on this deal. I'm going to say it again, but I'll put it nicer for those of you who are easily offended: the Bears operated as "inexpensively" as they possibly can. How else can we explain not signing a free agent OG or OT when the getting was good?

Jerricho Cotchery might be available at WR. Would be worth a look.

Originally Posted by Blue Horse-shoe

It's been 25 years since we've won a SB. I see too many worried about giving up picks for proven players and the window is closing for players like Urlacher etc. I don't agree .... you strike while the iron is hot. I'd trade 1 SB for 5yrs of last place finishes, or even 2nd place finishes for that matter..... what good is not winning the SB ? What good is just being in the playoffs ? WHAT are they WAITING for ?

Just another opinion saying much the same BH-s. When the Giants couldn't find anyone to offer a 1st they dropped the price to a 2nd and still no one is lining up at their door. I think the main reason for that is because in addition to giving up the pick Osi wants who ever he's traded to to give him a long term deal averaging over $10 mil per year. GULP!

The Bears were able to bring in younger and healthier players like Gholston and Okoye on one year deals without having to give up any picks. They don't have Osi's track record but their both younger and if they turn their careers around in Chicago, especially Gholston who's an Osi clone, we'll have gotten a phenomenal deal out taking a chance on them.



Chicago Bears Report

Osi not worth pick in 1st or 2nd round
August, 4, 2011Aug 4
4:30
PM CT

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By Michael C. Wright


Fernando Medina/US PresswireOsi Umenyiora had 11.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles for the Giants last season.
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Should the Bears go after Osi Umenyiora? Probably, since he would make a nice complement to Julius Peppers. Should they give up what it would take to acquire him? Absolutely not.

Here's a quick rundown to catch you up on the situation. Because Umenyiora is seeking a new deal to replace his contract -- which has two years and $7.1 million remaining on it -- the Giants gave his agent Tony Agnone permission to seek out a trade earlier this week. But the Giants quickly rescinded it when the agent couldn't find a partner willing to surrender a first-round pick.

Obviously, the Bears were likely included among the teams to which Agnone shopped his client, and if that's the case, general manager Jerry Angelo made the right call in not giving up a first-round pick for Umenyiora.

While his numbers from last season -- 11.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles -- definitely make him an enticing option to pair with Peppers, a first-round pick might be -- scratch "might be" -- is too much for the Bears to pay.

The Giants reportedly lowered their asking price Tuesday to a second-rounder.

But keep in mind that Angelo has said he's no longer in the business of trading away draft picks, and for good reason. The Bears are still playing catch-up for the picks they gave up in the trade for quarterback Jay Cutler. Before drafting offensive tackle Gabe Carimi in April, the Bears -- as a result of the Cutler acquisition -- hadn't picked in the first round since 2008.

While Umenyiora -- like Peppers -- possesses the explosive first step that makes tackles weak in the knees, great balance, and excellent range, he's not exceptionally physical when teams run right at him, and that last trait isn't one that's coveted by a Bears team intent on stuffing the run first.

He'll run down quarterbacks, for sure. Ask Cutler, who saw Umenyiora three times on a nine-sack half last October that resulted in the quarterback leaving the game with a concussion.

But is he worth the Bears giving up a first-round pick? No. Draft picks -- especially first-rounders -- are like gold to GMs around the league, which is why it's so rare that they're given up easily.

Let's also remember that Umenyiora underwent ACL surgery a few years back, and is coming off offseason hip surgery, which makes prospects for a long-term deal (that's likely what the Bears would have to offer) somewhat shaky.

If the Giants want to talk about acquiring the third-round pick the Bears acquired in the Greg Olsen trade for Umenyiora, that's a subject definitely worth discussing.

But if the asking price remains a first- or second-round pick, the Bears would be wise to pass on Umenyiora.