People didn't think GM Ryan Pace had the guts to move on from Leonard Floyd. Then he signed Robert Quinn. They didn't think he had the guts to actually push Mitch Trubisky. Then he traded for Nick Foles. Lastly, they didn't think he had the guts to admit he made a mistake signing Trey Burton to that terrible contract in 2018. Now the Chicago Bears, in one of the biggest surprises of the offseason, sent the tight end packing.
Ian Rapoport and other national insider delivered the news. After just two seasons, Burton is once again a free agent. After signing Demetrius Harris and then Jimmy Graham, it was apparent the Bears were trying to get better at a critical position. They maintained hope that Burton could still get healthy after an injury-plagued 2019. This decision sends a pretty clear message that they're not optimistic about that happening.
Trey Burton started so well with Chicago Bears
It's such a shame too. Things started well for Burton. He was a primary target for Mitch Trubisky in 2018, becoming a reliable weapon on 3rd down and a big part of their more creative offensive packages. Then some time around December, things went off the rails. Burton started dealing with mental and physical issues that just continued to snowball. He failed to appear in their playoff game against Philadelphia and made it just eight games last season before landing on Injured Reserve.
Clearly the Bears weren't satisfied with his lack of progress in recovery. Combine that with questions of his commitment to the team stemming from his anxiety attack over playing his former Eagles brethren? Bears fans were done with him by the end of last season. Odds are this means Pace could be looking for more help at the position in the upcoming NFL draft.
Word is they will release him with a post-June 1st designation. That means they will collect an additional $2.8 million in salary cap space.
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