The Tyler Eifert Mock Offseason

Re-signings [14.4 million spent]

DT Henry Melton 5 years 37.5 million/20 guaranteed

The Bears drafted a player in the 4th round that has turned into a Pro Bowl player and a dynamic interior pass rusher and he must be re-signed. This deal puts him in the top 10 of DTs and should allow the Bears to keep him happy while not breaking the bank.

Year 1: 1 million salary/ 4 million guaranteed [5]
Year 2: 3 million salary/ 5 million guaranteed [8] Peppers Gone
Year 3: 4 million salary/ 5 million guaranteed [9] Cap Projected to Increase
Year 4: 4 million salary/ 5 million guaranteed [9]
Year 5: 5.5 million salary/ 1 million guaranteed [6.5] Restructure Space with Low Bonus
OG Lance Louis 4 years 12 million/4 guaranteed
This deal is similar to the one signed by Kraig Ubrik in Buffalo and the Bears protect themselves with a lower guarantee and the language of the contract. If healthy Louis can still make his money and if injured still the Bears can get out with paying him the 1 year total and allowing him to move on. The heavy back load gives the Bears options.

Year 1: 1 million salary [1]
Year 2: 2 million salary/ 2 million guaranteed [4]
Year 3: 2 million salary/ 2 million guaranteed [4]
Year 4: 3 million salary/ [3]

LB Brian Urlacher 2 years 7 million/4 guaranteed

This deal is really a 1 year 5 milllion dollar deal, but allows the Bears to split it up over 2 years and they could potentially keep him for a 2nd year. Urlacher takes a team friendly deal that still compensates him well and he gets to retire a Bear. The Bears can cut him in 2014 and only owen him 1 million.

Year 1: 1 million salary/ 2 million guaranteed [3]
Year 2: 2 million salary/ 1 million guaranteed/1 million roster bonus [4]

LB Nick Roach 3 years 8 million/3 guaranteed

He is a versatile back up who can start at SLB and back up all 3 positions. He has always produced for this defense and deserves to be back.

Year 1: 1 million salary [1]
Year 2: 1 million salary/ 2 million guaranteed [3]
Year 3: 3 million salary/ 1 million guaranteed [4] Probably Released

CB Kelvin Hayden 2 years 4 million/2 guaranteed

The nickle back and primary back up is important in this defense and while the days of Hayden being a long term starter are over I think he fits in this defense, likes the city and will give the Bears a reasonable deal to stick around.

Year 1: 1 million salary/ 1 million guaranteed [2]
Year 2: 1 million salary/ 1 million guaranteed [2]

OT John Scott 1 year 1 million/500K guaranteed [1]

He played pretty well at RT and he looks like a nice potential swing OT and back up.

RB Armando Allen RFA Tender [700K]

He has the speed and hands that Trestman likes as a potential compliment to the much bigger Bush and Forte and he was good on special teams.

DT Nate Colins RFA Tender [700K]

This is a steal for a guy with as much potenital as Collins who flashed last season. The Bears let Okoye go to bring him back in.

Cuts [3.8 million saved]

WR Devin Hester [1.8 million]

Angelo built Hester into something he could not be leaving him bitter and emotional and the fans resentful that they did not get their sprinkles and twiests. Hester has not developed as WR and he is declining as a kick returner. On top of on field decline he has become poutty and emotional and he clearly needs a fresh start. I try to trade him but then I move on.

TE Kellen Davis [2 million]

This explanation is easy to write as Davis is terrible at everything, he was a Lovie guy and the Bears can cut him and get 2 million dollars back.

Restructure and Extend [8.5 million saved]

WR Brandon Marshall [6 million saved]

Original Deal: 2 year 18 million
New Deal: 4 years 44 million/30 guaranteed [11 million a season like other top WRs]
Total Contract: 6 years 62 million/30 guaranteed [44 million in new money, 30 million in new guarantees]

Year 1 Original Deal [2013]: 1 million salary/2 guaranteed [3]
Year 2 Original Deal [2014]: 5 million salary/4 million guaranteed [9]
Year 3: 6 million salary/ 7 million guaranteed [13]
Year 4: 6 million salary/ 7 million guaranteed [13]
Year 5: 6 million salary/ 7 million guaranteed [13]
Year 6: 9 million salary/ 3 million guaranteed [12] Probably Released, also low bonus space for restructuring.

CB Charles Tillman [5 million saved]

Original Deal: 1 year 8 million
New Money: 3 years 21 million/15 guaranteed [7.25 average salary]
Total Contract 4 years 29 million/15 guaranteed

Year 1 Original Deal [2013]: 1 million salary/2 guaranteed [3]
Year 2: 3 million salary/ 5 million guaranteed [8]
Year 3: 4 million salary/ 5 million guaranteed [9]
Year 4: 6 million salary/ 3 million guaranteed [9] Can be cut for a 5 million savings.

DE Cory Wootton [-2.5 million spent]
I am extending Wootton on a modest 3 year extension that allows the Bears to use some cap space this season and gives him a pay bump that protects him if he gets hurt.
Original Deal: 1 year 1.5 million
New Money: 3 years 14.5 million/8 guaranteed
Total Contract: 4 years 16 million/8 guaranteed
Year 1: 1 million salary/3 million guaranteed [4]
Year 2: 2 million salary/2 million guaranteed [4]
Year 3: 2 million salary/2 million guaranteed [4]
Year 4: 3 million salary/1 million guaranteed [4]
Free Agents [8 million spent]

The major investment in the defense is in retaining Melton, Urlacher and Hayden and the focus of free agency is on stopping the bleeding on the OL with 2 solid free agents that can start week 1, which also allows us to be flexible in the draft.
OT Gosder Cherilus [Detroit] 5 years 22.5 million/10 guaranteed

Year 1: 2 million salary/ 2 guaranteed [4]
Year 2: 2.5 million salary/2 guaranteed [4.5]
Year 3: 3 million salary/2 guaranteed [5]
Year 4: 3 million salary/2 guranteed [5]
Year 5: 2 million salary/2 guaranteed [4]

Cherilus is a solid starting RT in a pass happy offense and he can stabilize arguably our weakest position if Carimi is permantly moved inside. Cherilus istantly becomes our best OLmen, but still allows the team to see if Webb can hold up in the Trestman system. Cherilus also brings a ton of attitude and nastiness to a line that was pushed around to often last season.

http://binaryapi.ap.org/5228d16363a5...d73eb/940x.jpg

OG Matt Slauson [NY Jets] 4 years 12 million/4 guaranteed
Year 1: 1 million salary/1 million guaranteed [2]
Year 2: 2 million salary/ 1 million guaranteed [3]
Year 3: 2 million salary/ 2 million guaranteed [4]
Year 4: 3 million salary [3]

Slauson not an elite player at OG, but he is a solid NFL starter who can provide a clear upgrade at LG. Slauson has the size [6'5" 320lbs] that the Bears are looking for and is an above average pass blocker allowing 0 sacks in 14 starts last season. If the Bears draft an OG early Slauson will back up at OG, get work at C and cover the Bears if Louis is injured. He is not making so much that he cannot be a great depth player since depth has killed the Bears OL.

http://www.jetsgab.com/wp-content/up...tt-slauson.jpg

QB Kellen Clemens [St. Louis] 2 years 2 million/1 guaranteed

Year 1: 1 million guaranteed [1]
Year 2: 1 million salary [1]

The Bears need a cheaper back up option than Jason Campbell and Clemens is a smart player that has started games in the league.

http://www.ncregister.com/images/siz...eb-255x255.jpg

Draft

This plan is light on OLmen because I think the bleeding has been stopped at OL with 2 FA pick ups and it allows Carimi and James Brown a season at OG to see if they can be something.

1[20] TE Tyler Eifert [Notre Dame] 6'6" 250lbs.

The Bears could very easily look at TE in the draft as Trestman wants everyone on the field not playing OL to be a threat to catch the ball. This is how he creates mismacthes and creates space in his system and it will require someone who can threaten the middle of the field. Eifert is to fast and fluid for a LB to cover and he is to big and has the body control to make it difficult for a safety to cover him. He is a mismacth. For people who think Eifert and Ertz are not worth the pick I say that they probably are since both are better than Coby Fleener who went 33 and this is a weaker draft.

http://beyondthecombine.com/wp-conte...-Dame-Pic1.jpg

2[50] LB Khaseem Greene [Rutgers] 6' 236lbs.

The Bears have 2-3 years to infuse youth into the defense and it starts at LB with an impact player. Greene has the atheltic ability, former safety, to cover and he has the mentaility and physicality to come up and play the run. He learns for a year before becoming the Bears MLB. The Bears cannot infuse the entire defense with youth, but over 2-3 years I think we will see them slowly add 1-2 players a year to portect themselves.

http://www.scarletknights.com/ck/ima...ne_temple2.jpg

4. C Brian Schwenke [Cal] 6'3" 308lbs.

Schwenke might be limited athletically, but he is stout in the passing game and can secure the middle of the line. I expect him to compete to start with a veteran repaired OL. The center of the future for the Bears.

http://www.foxsportsnext.com/content...20Schwenke.jpg

5. DE Lavar Edwards [LSU] 6'5" 265lbs.

The DE position will be the next to over go a make over as I doubt Peppers is on the team in 2014 and while Wootton is good and McClellin is a 1st round pick with a ton of upside the Bears need to continue to develop more players. Edwards is raw but he has the size, length and speed to become somthing with some time.

http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townn...c1e4.image.jpg

6. WR Lanear Sampson [Baylor] 5'11" 205lbs.

The Bears do not need a consistent deep threat to play 40-50 snaps a game on offense. They need a player who can play 10-15 snaps and be used to threaten defenses deep and put it in the DCs mind that we are running someone deep. Sampson is a one trick pony he can run deep and he can catch the ball, cough Hester cough.

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/15/64/13.../3/628x471.jpg

Depth Chart

QB: Cutler, Clemons
RB: Forte, Bush, Allen
WR: Marshall, Jeffery, Bennett, Sampson, Weems, Anderson
TE: Eifert, Rodriguez, Spaeth
LT: Webb
LG: Slauson, Brown [PR]
C: Garza/Schwenke
RG: Louis, Carimi
RT: Cherilus, Scott

RE: Peppers, McClellin
DT: Melton, Collins
NT: Paea, Toenia
LE: Wootton, Edwards
SLB: Roach, Costanzo, Trahan
MLB: Urlacher, Greene
LB: Briggs, Thomas
CB: Tillman, Jennings, Hayden, Frey, McManis
SS: Wright, Steltz, Walter
FS: Conte, Hardin