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At this point it may seem a bit redundant to say so, but the Chicago Bears enter the 2025 offseason with as much on the line as any team in the NFL. It’s a third consecutive spring in which Chicago is armed with cap space, draft picks, and an increasing desire to transition from rebuilding to contending, which is a state in which the Bears haven’t spent much time this century. Every move that general manager Ryan Poles makes this offseason will be looked at under a microscope.
The first major decision that Poles and co. will need to make is whether to place the franchise tag any of their upcoming free agents, but according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, this isn’t a decision that the Bears are going to waste too much time considering.
“Chicago’s top two pending free agents — receiver Keenan Allen and guard Teven Jenkins — wouldn’t qualify for the tag for a number of reasons,” writes Cronin. “Allen will be 33 this season, and Jenkins missed 23 games over four seasons because of injury. It’s more likely the Bears let both players walk and find their replacements in free agency or the draft.”
What Courtney Cronin lays out is the short version of each of these stories. Here’s the slightly longer versions:
Ryan Poles and the Bears acquired Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers for a 4th round pick. It was a move that signified that Chicago wasn’t messing around about solidifying a cast of pass-catchers that would make life easier for soon-to-be 1st overall pick Caleb Williams, and one that also indicated that the Bears believed they could ‘win now.’
Unfortunately, the Keenan Allen experience didn’t necessarily go as planned. The 32-year-old wideout was limited to 70 receptions for 744 yards and 7 touchdowns, but the Bears — thanks to the league’s worst coaching staff and an atrocious offensive line — weren’t ready to live up to those ‘win now’ expectations. It feels like a virtual certainty that the Bears won’t hang onto Allen. Rome Odunze and DJ Moore are the future in Chicago, and Tyler Scott still has plenty of promise. In a deep draft for wide receivers, don’t be surprised if Poles takes a bite or two at that apple.
Teven Jenkins is a slightly more complicated story. When healthy, the tackle-turned-guard is an above average interior offensive lineman. But that ‘when healthy’ qualifier has been in place since he arrived in Chicago in 2021 with hopes of being a foundational piece for the Bears as their left-tackle-to-be. As Cronin notes, Jenkins has missed 23 games due to injury in just four years, and it’s not as if these have been fluke injuries. Jenkins needed back surgery before he ever played a regular season game in Chicago.
With Ben Johnson’s arrival and Caleb Williams’ continued pursuit of greatness, the future may be very bright in Chicago. But it’s likely one that Keenan Allen and Teven Jenkins won’t be part of.
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