The Chicago Bears entered free agency with two of critical players on defense — Adrian Amos and Bryce Callahan — set to hit the open market, and the hope was GM Ryan Pace would find a way to bring at least one of them back.
That won’t be the case.
Amos signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the Packers, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Callahan will sign a three-year, $21 million deal with the Broncos.
Callahan will get paid a bit more than Buster Skrine, the cornerback Chicago signed to a three-year, $16.6 million deal to replace him.
The Bears likely had concerns about Callahan’s injury history (he hasn’t played more than 13 games in any season of his four-year career) and decided they’d be better off with a veteran like Skrine despite him having durability issues of his own.
Callahan will reunite with Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell in Denver. Fangio served as the Bears’ defensive coordinator last season; Donatell was Callahan’s defensive backs coach.
If Callahan can stay healthy, the Broncos got themselves a steal. It’s a big if, however, and a risk the Bears just weren’t willing to take.
