The Bears explored all options before releasing two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller — including a contract revision and a trade. But the painful roster move was unavoidable in a year the salary cap dropped from $198.2 million in 2020 to $182.5 million in 2021 because of coronavirus-related revenue losses, general manager Ryan Pace said Friday.
“We knew what we were gonna be in for. We knew we had to make some tough decisions,” Pace said. “You saw throughout the league some teams releasing multiple starters. Every team had hard decisions to make [in] a year where projection with the cap is almost a $30 million difference of where it projected to be.
“With us, it came down to one player, but we plan these things far in advance. We always have contingency plans. And we wish Kyle nothing but the best.”
Fuller signed a one-year contract with the Broncos for a reported $9.5 million. Pace mitigated the damage by signing former Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant to a one-year contract. The Bears also are counting on the development of rookie starter Jaylon Johnson and back-up Kindle Vildor to fill the void.
A-Robbed?
Pace again indicated he is not concerned that wide receiver Allen Robinson’s unhappiness with being given the franchise tag will impact his 2021 season.
“We tagged him for a reason — he’s a really good player,” Pace said. “We’re glad he’s part of our team. We know he’ll be here in 2021. It’s a resource we have that we’ll use and we’ll continue to work through it.”
