The Green Bay Packers are looking to solve their cornerback problem while making one of their biggest rivals weaker. The Packers have signed Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller to an offer sheet.
#Packers have signed #Bears CB Kyle Fuller to an offer sheet. Chicago placed transition tag ($12.9067 million on Fuller). So things will get interesting in the NFC North as the rivals compete for the former first-round draft pick.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 16, 2018
Fuller, a former first-round pick, was given the transition tag by the Bears before free agency opened. That isn’t quite as restrictive as the franchise tag, which essentially ties a player to his team for the next year, but it’s also not as expensive.
What we do know is the transition tag is worth $12.9 million for this season. The Bears said they tagged Fuller in order to facilitate time to work out a long-term deal with him. They obviously want him back. However, the Packers have obviously beaten them to the punch.
The Bears will now have five days to decide if they want to match the Packers offer, in which case they keep Fuller. Or, if the offer is too rich for their taste, the Packers will bring on Fuller.
In either case, it’s a win-win for the Packers. Get the cornerback they want and make a rival weaker or make said rival pay their a player top dollar.
Fuller had 69 tackles and two interceptions for the Bears in 2017. He also knocked down a stellar 22 passes. Fuller is also available. He’s played in all 16 games in three of his four seasons in the league.
It’s one hell of a bold move by Packers’ general manager Brian Gutekunst.
And just like that, the dream died.
#Packers have signed #Bears CB Kyle Fuller to an offer sheet. Chicago placed transition tag ($12.9067 million on Fuller). So things will get interesting in the NFC North as the rivals compete for the former first-round draft pick.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 16, 2018
It’s interesting that the offer was so easy to match. As has been said, typically teams try to make the contract so the player’s current team find it unpalatable.