The Chicago Bears are entering their first full offseason with head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace at the helm. While Fox and Pace took the first tentative steps toward reshaping the Bears roster last year, this season should bring far greater change as the pair move the organization more fully in their preferred direction. Already, Matt Forte and Jermon Bushrod are out and other longtime Bears may soon follow. There are questions regarding Martellus Bennett's future with the team and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, one of the most talented players on the Chicago offense, may not be long for the Windy City either.
While the assumption has long been that the Bears will slap Jeffery, who played last season on the final year of his rookie deal, with the franchise tag, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network indicated Friday that "no decision has been made" regarding Jeffery's future and a "chance" remains that he hits the open market.
#Bears tidbit: Assumption has been they'll tag WR Alshon Jeffery. I'm told no decision has been made & there's a chance he hits the market
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 19, 2016
A former second-round pick, Jeffery doesn't bring game-breaking speed to the position, but his size, wingspan and athleticism allow him to make difficult catches look easy. He's supremely talented and were he able to remain healthy, would likely be among the top-10 players at his position in the NFL. Unfortunately, injuries have robbed him of effectiveness at times and last year kept him off the field for seven games.
He finished the season 807 yards and 4 touchdowns, stellar numbers considering the amount of time he missed. According to Pro Football Focus, that put Jeffrey up with the top guys at his position, meaning he's worth being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Antonio Brown.
But there are factors working against his return to Chicago. He wasn't selected by Fox and Pace, so there's no commitment to him there. And his injury issues have to be troublesome considering he's got the skill level of a No. 1 wide receiver, but isn't always available. Combine that with his likely major asking price on a contract extension and it's going to take a brave GM, whether that be Pace or someone else, to hand him a big money long-term deal.
Since they still control his rights, the likeliest outcome remains a return to Chicago for Jeffery. But if the team that knows him best lets him walk or tags him and trades him, it should provide a valuable insight for the rest of the league into just how bad his issues, injury or otherwise, really are.
