2 potential Wide Receiver Targets for the Chicago Bears
Jakobi Meyers - Free Agent
The Bears are in search of a slot wide receiver, and no free agent surpasses the potential of Jakobi Meyers. Over a four-year span, Meyers has accumulated 2,758 yards and eight touchdowns (six of which were earned in the most recent season) for the Patriots. According to Spotrac, which compares Meyers to players such as Allen Robinson, Corey Davis, Terry McLaurin, and Jarvis Landry, his market value is estimated to be approximately $12.5 million. However, Pro Football Focus's evaluation is more optimistic and predicts a yearly income of around $16 million for Meyers.
The Bears struggled to produce from the slot position in 2022. As per PFF, Cole Kmet led all receivers with 216 snaps from the slot, followed by Darnell Mooney (204) and Dante Pettis (143). Last offseason's plan for the slot relied on the acquisition of Byron Pringle, but injuries impacted his output, resulting in only 161 total snaps and 44 from the slot. Meyers excels in the slot and established himself as the preferred receiver for QB Mac Jones in New England. In 2022, he occupied the slot on 70% of his snaps, a percentage that has steadily risen since his rookie season when he was utilized only 60% of the time from the slot. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 200 lbs, Meyers is a formidable receiver that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy can move to create mismatches against the defense.
Unfortunately, the Patriots are likely to prioritize re-signing Meyers as their first order of business this offseason. With nearly $32 million in cap space, Meyers is one of the few successful wide receiver talents that New England has developed, and with Bill O'Brien assuming the role of offensive coordinator from Matt Patricia, they are likely to retain Meyers for the long term.
Tee Higgins - Trade
In a recent article on The Athletic, Paul Dehner opined that if the terms for an extension of Tee Higgins with the Bengals prove to be unworkable, the Bengals might resort to a strategy employed by multiple teams in recent years by trading Higgins for a premium draft pick and commencing the cycle anew with a rookie wide receiver. Dehner cites examples of teams like the Vikings and Titans who traded their wide receivers Stefon Diggs and A.J. Brown, respectively, for draft picks. Higgins, similar to those players, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is expected to seek an extension prior to participating in his contract year.
Tee Higgins, who is widely regarded as a talented player and not merely a second-string wide receiver, is viewed as the No. 1B option to Ja'Marr Chase's No. 1A in Cincinnati. During the four games that Chase was absent due to injury, Higgins caught 26 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns, a pace that would extrapolate to 110 catches, 1,576 yards, and eight touchdowns over the course of an entire season. In 2021, Higgins led all receivers in terms of CROE (catch rate over expected), meaning that he made difficult catches at a higher rate than his peers.
Adding Higgins to the Bears would bring a new dimension to their offense, similar to the impact Brown had on the Eagles. The Bears lacked a physical receiver capable of loosening up zone coverage in the middle of the field, a gap that was acutely felt in 2021. With Higgins, the Bears would be acquiring a young (24 years old) and dynamic weapon that could develop alongside Justin Fields.
However, the cost of acquiring Higgins would likely be substantial. The acquisition of Stefon Diggs by the Bills involved the 22nd overall pick, while the Eagles acquired A.J. Brown with the 18th and 101st picks. A baseline for acquiring Higgins would likely be a mid-first-round pick, which, if the Bears are open to trading their first overall pick, could be realized in a trade involving Carolina's ninth pick and the Bears' third-rounder (No. 65 overall) for Higgins and the Bengals' second-round pick (No. 60 overall).
