Bears will use original tender WR Cameron Meredith, Bellamy and Cb Callahan

[49erurtaza]

 

[JAF-N72EX]

Him and Bellamy both.

[Broncofan]

11 minutes ago, 49erurtaza said:

 

I'm not trying to be that guy - can you edit title to "original round tender"?

Why do I ask?   Well, CHI had a choice - original round tender (the round he was chosen), 2nd round or 1st round.  Meredith was a UDFA.

https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/07/nfl-salary-cap-sets-2018-rfa-tenders-for-teams/

The 1st round tender means a team gives up a 1st if they sign the player (and team offering tender can decide to match).    The 2nd rd tender means the team offering tender can match any offer, or get a 2nd.   The original rd tender was offered in this case, means CHI can decide to match, or they can let him walk - no comp, since Meredith was a UDFA.

The tenders get more expensive:

1st - 4.1M

2nd - 2.9M

Original (called low) - 1.9M

So CHI decided to save 1M by not offering Meredith a 2nd round tender - given how weak the WR class is after the top 2-3 guys, I think that's a huge mistake.   Elway made the same mistake in 2016 with CJ Anderson at RB, when the difference was only 800K - and instead, MIA offered a 4 year, 18M deal that was frontloaded, which Elway then decided to match - instead of a 2M/1-year second year tender, he paid 6M for the 1st year....I don't think it's going to be that high, but I have a strong feeling as long as he's healthy, Meredith will get an offer well above 2.9M/1 year.   Not crazy about this move given the Bears are so WR-deficient.

Bellamy I'm confident won't get any suitors for more than 2M/1.  I'm not at all convinced Meredith won't get interest above 2.9M/1 year. 

[JAF-N72EX]

The Bears cap space alone is going to scare away most teams since they know Pace isn't going to just let Meridith walk. Especially given the current WR situation.

[Broncofan]

15 minutes ago, JustAnotherFan said:

The Bears cap space alone is going to scare away most teams since they know Pace isn't going to just let Meridith walk. Especially given the current WR situation.

Not sure why it would scare a team away from putting more than a 3M bid.   I mean, a NFCN team might just do it to make the Bears match it and spend, out of divisional spite.  For a team like DEN, we need a cheap 3rd WR, and one with some long-term potential so I could see Elway make an offer and test CHI's resolve.   It all just seems unnecessary.

Frankly, if the Bears have that much cap space, it makes way more sense to spend 1M and make it completely unpalatable for a team to offer a contract.   Right now, it just costs them $.  And once the offer is in, CHI can match - but then they've thrown away $ if it's more than 2.9M.   Which in this FA WR market, seems like a given.

Trust me, I'm not throwing shade at CHI, just we lived through the exact situation with CJ Anderson in 2016 (RB devaluation being the reason Elway thought he could save 800K...and instead, spent 4M more that year, and 3M last year, when he was thinking one-year and done).   And sure, it's just $ they can afford, but the Bears could have spent 1M to remove any doubt Meredith gets any offers - no one would pay a 2nd rounder.   Just very iffy reasoning if you are flush with cap space.  We'll see.

[Superman(DH23)]

27 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

I'm not trying to be that guy - can you edit title to "original round tender"?

Why do I ask?   Well, CHI had a choice - original round tender (the round he was chosen), 2nd round or 1st round.  Meredith was a UDFA.

https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/07/nfl-salary-cap-sets-2018-rfa-tenders-for-teams/

The 1st round tender means a team gives up a 1st if they sign the player (and team offering tender can decide to match).    The 2nd rd tender means the team offering tender can match any offer, or get a 2nd.   The original rd tender was offered in this case, means CHI can decide to match, or they can let him walk - no comp, since Meredith was a UDFA.

The tenders get more expensive:

1st - 4.1M

2nd - 2.9M

Original (called low) - 1.9M

So CHI decided to save 1M by not offering Meredith a 2nd round tender - given how weak the WR class is after the top 2-3 guys, I think that's a huge mistake.   Elway made the same mistake in 2016 with CJ Anderson at RB, when the difference was only 800K - and instead, MIA offered a 4 year, 18M deal that was frontloaded, which Elway then decided to match - instead of a 2M/1-year second year tender, he paid 6M for the 1st year....I don't think it's going to be that high, but I have a strong feeling as long as he's healthy, Meredith will get an offer well above 2.9M/1 year.   Not crazy about this move given the Bears are so WR-deficient.

Bellamy I'm confident won't get any suitors for more than 2M/1.  I'm not at all convinced Meredith won't get interest above 2.9M/1 year. 

Id have to disagree.  The wr class this year isnt top heavy, but it is deeeeeeeep.  There is probably a group of 10 that could go anywhere in the 2nd or 3rd.  I probably would have gone 2nd round tender, but i agree with the above, Meredith isnt getting out the door unless somebody payys a stupid amount.

[JAF-N72EX]

4 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

Not sure why it would scare a team away from putting more than a 3M bid.   I mean, a NFCN team might just do it to make the Bears match it and spend, out of divisional spite.  For a team like DEN, we need a cheap 3rd WR, and one with some long-term potential so I could see Elway make an offer and test CHI's resolve.   It all just seems unnecessary.

Frankly, if the Bears have that much cap space, it makes way more sense to spend 1M and make it completely unpalatable for a team to offer a contract.   Right now, it just costs them $.  And once the offer is in, CHI can match - but then they've thrown away $ if it's more than 2.9M.   Which in this FA WR market, seems like a given.

Trust me, I'm not throwing shade at CHI, just we lived through the exact situation with CJ Anderson in 2016 (RB devaluation being the reason Elway thought he could save 800K...and instead, spent 4M more that year, and 3M last year, when he was thinking one-year and done).   And sure, it's just $ they can afford, but the Bears could have spent 1M to remove any doubt Meredith gets any offers - no one would pay a 2nd rounder.   Just very iffy reasoning if you are flush with cap space.  We'll see.

Oh believe me, I agree that it was questionable move. I'm just saying that the Bears have the money to match any offer and I don't see Pace letting him go.

[Broncofan]

8 minutes ago, Superman(DH23) said:

Id have to disagree.  The wr class this year isnt top heavy, but it is deeeeeeeep.  There is probably a group of 10 that could go anywhere in the 2nd or 3rd.  I probably would have gone 2nd round tender, but i agree with the above, Meredith isnt getting out the door unless somebody payys a stupid amount.

Again, though - if you are going to match any offer, why try to and nickel and dime with 1M savings, when you likely will have to pay a LOT more given how much a young WR that you like will be liked by others?.

I guess one idea is to let other teams set a market that you want to match, rather than come to the agreement yourself...but if it's a 1-year deal that another team offers, it's likely going to be a lot more than 3M.    Your desire to keep him underlines the strange reasoning here in that decision (although I get you thought it should have been a 2nd round tender too).

P.S.  I was talking about the FA class.   Rookie WR's take time, though I agree with your assessment that it's not top-heavy, but has Day 2 talent galore.  But teams like DEN will want a guy who helps immediately - cheap young FA like Meredith will get interest beyond 3M/1-year, IMO, and a lot more than I think Pace is anticipating.

[Superman(DH23)]

4 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

Again, though - if you are going to match any offer, why try to and nickel and dime with 1M savings, when you likely will have to pay a LOT more given how much a young WR that you like will be liked by others?.

I guess one idea is to let other teams set a market that you want to match, rather than come to the agreement yourself...but if it's a 1-year deal that another team offers, it's likely going to be a lot more than 3M.    Your desire to keep him underlines the strange reasoning here in that decision (although I get you thought it should have been a 2nd round tender too).

i think the Bears are trying to let other teams do the dirty work for them.  They transitioned Fuller, original round tendered Meredith.  Both of these are giving the Bears the ability to match the best offer.  Its clearly a play to not bid against themselves.  Somebody is going to sign these guys to offer sheets and probably lower than what the Bears # for the guy is due to them having question marks and the Bears have the best info on both.  

[Broncofan]

6 minutes ago, Superman(DH23) said:

i think the Bears are trying to let other teams do the dirty work for them.  They transitioned Fuller, original round tendered Meredith.  Both of these are giving the Bears the ability to match the best offer.  Its clearly a play to not bid against themselves.  Somebody is going to sign these guys to offer sheets and probably lower than what the Bears # for the guy is due to them having question marks and the Bears have the best info on both.  

If it's to let the market determine the long-term #, then I can accept that reasoning.  But that falls apart if he only gets a 1-year offer that's say 5-6M.  Then the Bears lost 3M.  Big deal, you say, they can afford it, but those kind of decisions add up over time.    I get Fuller because they had no other choice. 

The other part about Meredith that makes it a nobrainer to give him the 2nd round tag, was that at 3M they can also evaluate his play post-ACL return, given it was a more gruesome injury with additional involvement.  Still many guys come back and are close to 100 percent at 18 months (remember the 12-18 month mark they play, but don't have it all back), but this would have given them a chance to evaluate him with more info on the field - and with their cap space, the ability to match any offer next year, too.   I'd personally want to commit to Meredith long-term next year.   CHI's cap would allow them to do this routine albeit in FA....next year.   The original offer just makes it more certain they can match, but their cap situation means they could have done it next year, with more info on his on-the-field abilities returning.  Just really weird decision when you look at the whole equation.

When you combine the advantage of having that extra year of observation with locking it in at 1M more....just iffy reasoning IMO.  But who knows, we'll see how FA plays out.  I know Elway is looking for a 3rd WR, and a young one, given where DT/Sanders are older, and their contract makes a 2019 parting very possible.   I'd be shocked to see anything but a lot of interest (realizing CHI can match, but it won't cost anything to bid).

[patriotsheatyan]

I wouldn’t mind making an offer Meredith’s way. He had like 900 yards in 12 games with Barkly throwing it to him in 2016 and didn’t play last year. Someone is going to offer more than 3 million if I understand this correctly.

[topwop1]

1 hour ago, Broncofan said:

I'm not trying to be that guy - can you edit title to "original round tender"?

Why do I ask?   Well, CHI had a choice - original round tender (the round he was chosen), 2nd round or 1st round.  Meredith was a UDFA.

https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/07/nfl-salary-cap-sets-2018-rfa-tenders-for-teams/

The 1st round tender means a team gives up a 1st if they sign the player (and team offering tender can decide to match).    The 2nd rd tender means the team offering tender can match any offer, or get a 2nd.   The original rd tender was offered in this case, means CHI can decide to match, or they can let him walk - no comp, since Meredith was a UDFA.

The tenders get more expensive:

1st - 4.1M

2nd - 2.9M

Original (called low) - 1.9M

So CHI decided to save 1M by not offering Meredith a 2nd round tender - given how weak the WR class is after the top 2-3 guys, I think that's a huge mistake.   Elway made the same mistake in 2016 with CJ Anderson at RB, when the difference was only 800K - and instead, MIA offered a 4 year, 18M deal that was frontloaded, which Elway then decided to match - instead of a 2M/1-year second year tender, he paid 6M for the 1st year....I don't think it's going to be that high, but I have a strong feeling as long as he's healthy, Meredith will get an offer well above 2.9M/1 year.   Not crazy about this move given the Bears are so WR-deficient.

Bellamy I'm confident won't get any suitors for more than 2M/1.  I'm not at all convinced Meredith won't get interest above 2.9M/1 year. 

You make a good point but Meredith is coming off a torn ACL. I've seen crazier things happen, but I have my doubts that another team will be willing to offer him a big multi year deal.

Who knows, maybe the Bears are hoping that some team offers him a deal they deem to be fair and they will be forced to match instead of trying to guess where his value is or taking the risk that he breaks out in 2019 and commands a huge deal next offseason.

Could be a very smart money saving  play.

[Broncofan]

10 minutes ago, topwop1 said:

You make a good point but Meredith is coming off a torn ACL. I've seen crazier things happen, but I have my doubts that another team will be willing to offer him a big multi year deal.

Who knows, maybe the Bears are hoping that some team offers him a deal they deem to be fair and they will be forced to match instead of trying to guess where his value is or taking the risk that he breaks out in 2019 and commands a huge deal next offseason.

Could be a very smart money saving  play.

The first scenario you present doesn't really hold - because if no team is willing to make a long-term deal, it doesn't prevent them from making a better offer than 3M/1 year.   That's almost a no-brainer given how thin the FA WR market is after you get by ARob, Watkins and Paul Richardson.   Donte Moncrief is probably the only guy with his ceiling.   Someone will offer more than that for sure IMO.

Now, the second scenario is more interesting - but again, CHI has so much cap space, that very uncertainty you spoke about - why not let him play this year under control, and then play the same game next year?   You can't point to the ACL as to why teams would hold off making offers...and then say you are worried that he will explode and then have to pay big $ next year.   And as you and others have said, your cap space isn't the issue.

Finally, the kicker - you guys' dying need is WR.   You want ARob...but you'd want probably ARod and Meredith at a minimum.   Just lock him up at 3M/1 and be done with it, and concentrate on ARob (or whoever).   Just weird.

To be transparent - DEN would be nuts not to kick the tires, and test CHI's resolve here.   And I'm sure you could say that about GB, BAL, and the other teams that are looking WR long-term.  Unlike a rookie, he'd be ready to help right away...and is young enough to be a future building block, if he's healthy.   

[Broncofan]

@49erurtaza - sorry to ask, can you change the title again?  LOOOL...

 

OK Bears fans - please explain this last decision to me.   Callahan was an excellent CB.  Why would you want teams to try and bid on him too?   No way you have the same injury concerns as Meredith.   And now you're risking a big jump in $ for 2 guys.   Again, all to save...1M.  From 2.9M to 1.9M.   The CB market, no way someone doesn't make bids.

I totally get Bellamy, he's JAG but cheap.  But this is even more mystifying than Meredith.   Is the FO that worried they'd be bidding against themselves?   Be careful what you wish for.

DEN could use a 3rd CB - I'd imagine Elway & about 25 other teams will kick the tires here.  

[49erurtaza]

11 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

@49erurtaza - sorry to ask, can you change the title again?  LOOOL...

 

OK Bears fans - please explain this last decision to me.   Callahan was an excellent CB.  Why would you want teams to try and bid on him too?   No way you have the same injury concerns as Meredith.   And now you're risking a big jump in $ for 2 guys.   Again, all to save...1M.  From 2.9M to 1.9M.   The CB market, no way someone doesn't make bids.

I totally get Bellamy, he's JAG but cheap.  But this is even more mystifying than Meredith.   Is the FO that worried they'd be bidding against themselves?   Be careful what you wish for.

DEN could use a 3rd CB - I'd imagine Elway & about 25 other teams will kick the tires here.  

It's been added lol