Alshon Jeffery and the Chicago Bears contract negotiations

Alshon Jeffery and the Chicago Bears contract update

According to some reports, the Chicago Bears might allow Alshon Jeffery to hit the open market. This might come as a surprise to many thanks to his recent production.

Jeffery has proven to be a top-end wide receiver with the ability to dominate a game. His size is a major mismatch problem for defenses as it allows him to make catches even when in tight coverage. Jeffery also features deceptive quickness mainly because he’s a long strider.

There’s no doubt that Jeffery is a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but things get tricky when you look at his injury history. The Bears are rightfully hesitant to give a big-money to someone who has been in and out of the lineup. This past season Jeffery was able to only suit up for 9 games thanks to issues with this hamstring.

The previous two years he did play in all 16 games, but appeared on the injury report throughout the season. Jeffery’s history of soft-tissue injuries is what makes the Bears so worrisome. These are the type of injuries that tend to linger and could arise at any point in the season.

More from With the First Pick

In fact, Chicago is putting a program in place this offseason in an attempt to limit these type of injuries.

If the Bears decide to allow Jeffery to hit free agency there will be plenty of interest from other teams. It would also create a major hole in the Bears wide receiving corps. This would likely force the team to use an early draft pick on a wide receiver for the second year in a row.

They could look at Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell in the first round who features the same type of skills as Jeffery. Ohio State’s Michael Thomas is someone they could target in the second round. While both players are talented, they will need time to develop.

Chicago would basically be starting fresh with two rookie receivers in key roles because last year’s top pick Kevin White missed the entire season with an injury.

Home/NFL News