Jared Allen agrees to long term deal with the Chicago Bears
The biggest name left in free agency is finally off the board.
Defensive end and pass rusher extraordinaire, Jared Allen, has agreed to a four year deal to switch teams in the NFC North and join the Chicago Bears.
Bears gave DE Jared Allen a four-year, $32M deal that voids down to three years of $24M, of which $15.5M is fully guaranteed.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 26, 2014
Jared Allen came to terms with the Bears very late last night on a multi-year deal. Will be announced today
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 26, 2014
It's a great acquisition for the Bears, who give Allen the chance to contend for a championship. Though, obviously, he would've had a better chance at that in Seattle or Denver, two other teams reported to have interest in him. Money talks though, and the Bears will be paying a maximum value of $8 million/year to Mr. Allen.
The Patriots were never really rumored to be interested in Allen, though he would've been a fit. The reason is mostly because of the team's situation with their cap space. Where Allen just got around $8 million a year (likely less this year, pending details of contract) the Patriots only have about $4 million in total cap space. About $2 million of which they will need for draft picks, and they will probably also need more than that $2 million remaining after that for signings throughout the regular season and extensions before the 2015 league year.
The team has attempted to clear space by negotiating a restructure of Vince Wilfork's bloated $11 million cap hit this season, but things have gone south there with the nose tackle asking for his release. They can additionally free up room by extending safety Devin McCourty and kicker Stephen Gostowski, though that is obviously easier said than done. Such things are not as simple, or quick, as snapping your fingers.
Many Pats fans will cry that the team should've just granted Wilfork his release, thus freeing up $8 million in cap space, and then gone after Allen. In many ways, that would've been a big risk though. It would guarantee that you lose Wilfork, which the team clearly does not want to do, and it would offer no guarantee at all that they could secure Jared Allen. Given the contract he just signed with the Bears, it's not likely the Patriots could've afforded to give out that much even with Wilfork gone. That would leave them with nothing.
