Pass Rusher Market Just Got Way More Interesting For Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have stated they're keeping all options open regarding the pass rusher situation. Most experts agree the team didn't address the area enough this off-season, especially after losing Yannick Ngakoue to free agency. The recent emergence of rookie Austin Booker in the preseason has some wondering if they already have the solution. Maybe, but it would be a considerable risk putting that much responsibility on a 5th round pick. This is why GM Ryan Poles may want to monitor the market in case something unexpected breaks.

Sure enough, the unexpected broke. News dropped on Monday that Haason Reddick, the Pro Bowl pass rusher, has requested a trade from the New York Jets. Keep in mind that the Jets acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this off-season. Both sides haven't been able to reach an agreement on a contract extension, leading to Reddick's holdout. If that weren't enough, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN indicated the trade market is also heating up around Matthew Judon, who himself remains in a financial standoff with the New England Patriots.

The Chicago Bears' stance on this will come down to price.

Both players want new deals. The recent extension for D.J. Moore gave the team some cap flexibility. If we're talking price, Reddick figures to be more expensive. He's still 29 years old and had 11 sacks last season. One can safely assume he's looking for a big bump to his $14.5 million base salary this year. Spotrac places his market value around $26 million annually, making him the fifth-highest-paid pass rusher in the league. While his production justifies it, the Bears already got done throwing that same amount of money at Montez Sweat. This isn't counting the draft compensation they'd have to give up.

If we're talking about the more affordable option, that is Judon. He is 32 years old and missed 12 games last season with a bicep injury. Any extension he gets will be in the mid-teens per year at most since the Chicago Bears would be taking a considerable risk. A rotation of him, Sweat, and Booker would be plenty formidable for the next year or two, and the draft compensation is unlikely to exceed a mid-round pick. All of it comes down to how aggressive Poles wants to be.