The Chicago Bears are facing an interesting offseason. It's the second of the Ryan Pace-John Fox era, and it's likely the last of quarterback Jay Cutler's tenure with the team. Cutler, 32, has to this point been protected by his contract. But with the dead cap penalty value dropping precipitously for 2017, Cutler's likely to be playing elsewhere - if not out of the league entirely - by next summer.
But despite questions at quarterback and a roster devoid of talent in a few specific places - offensive line, safety - there is plenty of talent in place for Fox to work with. One of those talents, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, is currently set to play out the 2016 NFL season under the franchise tag.
And while Jeffery will make a pretty penny for just one season of work - $14.599 million to be exact - a recent report indicates that the Bears and Pace are "motivated" to get their No. 1 wide receiver under contract long-term.
Per the report, Jeffery may not exactly be ecstatic about playing out 2016 on a deal with zero security, but he is "at peace with it" because of the high value and the fact that he "loves" the city of Chicago.
In short, Jeffery wants to be there just as much as the team wants him to be there. And for both sides, it makes plenty of sense.
Jeffery is the kind of big-bodied wideout that makes any quarterback look good, but especially a guy like Cutler who throughout his career as struggled with accuracy. Jeffery may not win any races, but his athleticism and catch-radius allow him to muscle out smaller defensive backs and win balls in the air.
Through four professional seasons, Jeffrey has amassed 252 receptions for 3,728 yards and 24 touchdowns. In a truly astounding display last year, the former second-round pick out of South Carolina managed 807 receiving yards despite appearing in just nine games. Extrapolate that out to 16 games and Jeffery would have broken the 1,400-yard mark and may well have set a new career high.
Of course, his health is a concern, as Jeffery missed six games his rookie year before dealing with hamstring injuries in 2015.
But pair him with a - presumably - healthy Kevin White, and the Bears suddenly have an imposing tandem atop their wide receiver depth chart.
The trick, as it always is though, will be crafting a deal that works for both sides.
The report suggests that White will be looking for a contract somewhere north of the five-year, $55 million ($22.5 million guaranteed) deal that the Kansas City Chiefs handed to Jeremy Maclin during last year's free agency period.
Maclin was headed into his seventh NFL season at the time of the signing, though he was the same age then - 26 - as Jeffery is now. Prior to 2013, when he posted career numbers of 85 reception, 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns as part of Chip Kelly's up tempo offense, Maclin had never broken the 1,000-yard plateau or come close to matching Jeffery's production.
That the Bears receiver would likely seek more than Mac, who managed a little over 1,000-yards his first season as the unquestioned No. 1 in Kansas City, seems to hold water.
It may actually be that the five-year, $65 million ($28 million guaranteed) deal the Indianapolis Colts handed to T.Y. Hilton last year is a more apt comparable. Hilton and Jeffery couldn't possibly be more different in terms of style of play, but their production on a year-to-year basis is fairly similar, as is their overall importance to their respective offenses.
The most interesting aspect of this for the Bears is, if White does return to health and take some of the burden off Jeffery, they may be able to save a few dollars on the guaranteed end of his new deal.
If not, Jeffery's asking price may even go up, meaning Pace and Fox will have not one, but two problems on their hands.
