Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
It happens every year and happens to almost every single team, and will happen for the Chicago Bears in 2021. Out of nowhere, a player has a better season than you could have imagined. Whether it is narrative or great timing, you can typically look into those breakout years and see that a contract year may have spiked things.
The contract year narrative is that when a player is entering the year before he hits free agency, that extra urgency sparks career numbers and a big payday. It may not be as intentional as instinctual that when you are playing with significant money on the line that the best is brought out.