Why Leonard Floyd Could End Up as the Next Dee Ford

The Chicago Bears are hoping this is the year Leonard Floyd finally puts it together. Things seem to be trending that way. He finished 2018 strong with five sacks in his final nine games. This after getting blanked through the first eight. He was playing with a ton of confidence and energy. Now the new defensive coaching staff is led by Chuck Pagano, a noted expert at maximizing pass rushers.

So here's the question. What happens if Floyd does indeed break out in 2019? Of course, it won't matter in the short-term. The Bears defense will reap the benefits throughout the season. This is a matter of looking ahead. Chicago is in a bit of a financial crunch. The 2020 offseason might see them over the salary cap.

It likely won't stay that way due to rollover money from this year but that won't solve the problem. Pass rushers go for a ton of money. The Bears already pay Khalil Mack an enormous amount. This could force them into a difficult decision. Reddit user dreadpiratew made some strong points on the issue. Basically, the Bears either let Floyd play on his 5th-year option, try to find the money to pay him, or look for a trade.

Leonard Floyd is close to following the Dee Ford path

Floyd will be 28-years old in 2020. Presuming he has a good season, the odds of the Bears handing him $16-18 million a year is hard to imagine. Ryan Pace loves to reward his own guys but there has to be a limit on these things. Long-term financial stability is important if a team wants to compete for more than one championship.

One player who ran into the same exact scenario was former Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Dee Ford. After a slow start to his career, he really came on over the past couple of seasons. It culminated with a 13-sack run in 2018, the best of his career. With his contract expiring, he wanted a new contract. Unfortunately, the cash-strapped Chiefs knew they couldn't give it to him. Not without making some tough sacrifices.

So rather than suffer the financial headache, they franchise tagged him and then worked out a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. Kansas City got a future 2nd round pick in exchange. Maybe not the ideal scenario but likely the best option they had. Ford was 28 and a bad fit for the new 4-3 scheme they were about to implement.

Unless Pace has a plan to work out the money concerns, this may be a look at his future come next spring. Everything depends on what Floyd does this autumn and winter.