The Chicago Bears traded linebacker Jared Allen to the Carolina Panthers last week in a continued effort to go younger and reset the deck under first-time general manager Ryan Pace and new head coach John Fox. The Allen trade followed the offseason release of Tim Jennings and trade of wide receiver Brandon Marshall, and possibly preceded the shipping out of running back Matt Forte and receiver Alshon Jeffery.
Could Willie Young be next?
The thinking behind the Allen deal was to shed salary and open up more playing time for Young. However, Young has apparently requested a trade from the Bears, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Similar to Allen, Young feels most comfortable as a 4-3 defensive end as opposed to a 3-4 outside linebacker. As a defensive end in the 4-3 last season, Young totaled 10 sacks before his season was ended because of a torn Achilles tendon. He has yet to record a sack in three games (he missed the Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks) this year.
Pace won't outright say that Chicago is in full-blown rebuilding mode, but it's obvious that they will listen to offers. If the team receives a decent proposal for Young and don't believe the 30-year-old is in their future plans, they should at least considering moving on from him.
Young signed a three-year deal worth $9 million before the 2014 season. He will earn a base salary of $2.45 million both this year and next.
