Chicago Bears (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The details of new Chicago Bears guard Germain Ifedi have been made public, and once again Ryan Pace looks like a wise man.
When it was announced that the Chicago Bears signed veteran offensive lineman Germain Ifedi earlier in free agency, the move was met by several opinions. As with any signing, there were positive and negative reactions.
However, the fact that Ifedi signed just a 1-year deal meant that this was likely going to be a low-risk move by general manager Ryan Pace.
One thing was abundantly clear heading into the offseason, and it was that Pace had to address the line. He had to add competition, and with Ifedi, he did that. Up until now, though, we didn’t know just how serious of a signing this would be.
Fast forward to Saturday, and the contract details have become official. In short, Pace worked out a strong contract, just like the restructure he did with Nick Foles.
Alas, we can see that this move is not going to cost the Bears a whole lot after all. Ifedi is getting a veteran minimum salary for the 2020 season, and this after starting a whopping 60 games with the Seattle Seahawks.
Ifedi is still just 25 years old, and while he has had his fair share of penalties over his four years in the league, he still brings veteran competition. If he ends up winning the starting job at guard, then Pace will have spent less than $1 million to land that starter.
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If the Bears draft a guard who ends up filling that role, so be it. But, regardless, Ifedi’s contract is nothing to worry about. It’s not going to strap the team for cash in any way, and they can continue to clear space with extensions or restructures down the line, if need be.
I believe the Bears will end up drafting a guard at some point, which will be great for Ifedi. It will create a much-needed competition, just like the Bears are planning to do at quarterback. This is how you fill holes when you’re low on draft capital. You do what you can, with what you have, all while creating competition.
Sure, Pace could have gone out and tried to land a top-tier free agent. However, Joe Thuney, Andrus Peat and Brandon Scherff stayed on their respective teams, depleting the guard market. Pace knew his Plan B was a low-cost option like Ifedi, plus competition through the draft or fellow free agents.
It isn’t every move that causes us to praise him (far from it, in fact), but the Ifedi deal, accompanied by the Foles restructure, certainly justifies a compliment. Well done, Pace.
