Even before Ryan Pace was handed the position of General Manager for the Chicago Bears, the team had little salary cap available to utilize in free agency. In 2014, the Bears carried a team payroll of approximately $113 million with the salary cap at the time being near $126 million. Bad contracts in Jay Cutler and Tim Jennings handcuffed the team’s capabilities to do much in the offseason.
Flash forward a few years later, and things haven’t changed much in terms of payroll flexibility. Pace was able to make some savvy moves in acquiring cornerstone pieces like Khalil Mack and Danny Trevathan, with both being signed to contract extensions in 2018 and 2020, respectively.