When the Chicago Bears inked former Falcons WR Taylor Gabriel to a four-year, $26 million deal in March of 2018, he, along with former Jaguars Pro Bowl WR Allen Robinson, had the task of turning around the dismal wide receiving corps from 2017 that featured players such as Kendall Wright, Dontrelle Inman, Markus Wheaton and Tre McBride.
Gabriel did his part, catching 67 passes for 688 yards, both good enough for second-highest on the team, along with two touchdowns. His 72% catch rate was the highest among Bears wide receivers with at least 10 receptions and he was a key factor in helping lead the Bears to a 12-4 record. Gabriel figures to once again play an integral part in Matt Nagy’s offense in 2019, but there’s a strong chance it will be his final season in the blue and orange.
When the Bears drafted former Georgia WR Riley Ridley in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and signed former Missouri speedster WR Emanuel Hall as an undrafted free agent, it not only gave QB Mitchell Trubisky more weapons to work with going into the fall, but it gave the team more flexibility going into 2020.
Beginning this fall, it’s expected the Bears will extend C/G Cody Whitehair, as Ryan Pace tends to lock players up right before the regular season. Couple that with an upcoming extension for S Eddie Jackson in 2020, plus the fifth-year option for OLB Leonard Floyd, and suddenly the cap doesn’t look so friendly anymore. This also doesn’t account for the impending decision on QB Mitchell Trubisky, who will be looking for a contract extension as early as next offseason.
All of these potential moves mean the Bears will look to save money at certain spots. And given they acquired two receivers who both may be on the active roster come September on rookie deals, Gabriel could be the odd-man out. His deal runs through 2022, but has an out after the 2019 season where the Bears can save $14 million over two years, with a hit of just $2 million in dead money, according to Spotrac.
There’s also the situation regarding Robinson, who signed a three-year, $42 million deal. Coming off an ACL injury in 2017, Robinson didn’t light up defenses the way he did in Jacksonville but is now healthy for an entire offseason, the 26-year-old playmaker is poised for a breakout season.
Depending on his 2019 campaign, the Bears may look to extend him as well, as he will be entering the final year of his deal and is much more of the prototypical WR1 than Gabriel. The Bears could be content with a WR group that features Robinson, Anthony Miller, Ridley, and potentially Hall or Cordarrelle Patterson in 2020.
There are a lot of moving pieces with the salary cap and things can change instantly in the NFL, but if Ridley and even Hall show something this season, it doesn’t appear “Turbo” will last much longer in Chicago.
