Why the Bears made Buster Skrine Bryce Callahan's replacement and a priority free agent

The Bears’ biggest free agent signing in 2019, in terms of a financial commitment, was slot cornerback Buster Skrine, who will receive $8.5 million guaranteed over the life of his three-year contract. So while Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or Cordarrelle Patterson or Mike Davis will receive plenty of attention and headlines, it’ll be Skrine taking home the most money.

It was a little surprising, too, to see the Bears move quickly to agree to terms with Skrine while Bryce Callahan didn’t sign his three-year deal (with $10 million guaranteed) until March 15, a few days after the first wave of free agency ended. Callahan still received a well-paying contract, but that he had to wait until the Friday of…