3 Contract Extensions the Bears Need to Prioritize Right Now

Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson's contract will expire after the 2020 season.
Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson's contract will expire after the 2020 season. / Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images

The Chicago Bears will be looking to bounce back from a mediocre campaign last season in which they finished 8-8, a far cry from their 12-4 mark two seasons ago.

Most analysts have head coach Matt Nagy's side as a sleeper playoff team in 2020, and understandably so as it's really impossible to deny the talent he's working with. However, in order to ensure that Chicago's window of success remains open, the team will need to prioritize extending these three players.

3. Roquan Smith

Chicago Bears LB Roquan Smith
Chicago Bears LB Roquan Smith / Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

This was a toss-up between Roquan Smith and Akiem Hicks, both of whom have two years remaining on their respective contracts. However, we went with the former here simply because he's still just 23 years old. Hicks, on the other hand, is 30 and injuries limited him to five games in 2019. Smith certainly took a step back as a sophomore last season, but his potential is undeniable and the Bears should stop at nothing to keep him teamed up with Khalil Mack for the foreseeable future.

2. Tarik Cohen

Chicago Bears RB Tarik Cohen
Chicago Bears RB Tarik Cohen / Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Bears running back David Montgomery showed promise as a rookie in 2019, but only averaged 3.7 yards per carry largely because he was facing stacked boxes on almost every snap. That, of course, was the product of Mitchell Trubisky's alarming inability to throw the pigskin downfield. Until Chicago rosters a quarterback that can do just that, dynamic RB Tarik Cohen will be pivotal to the team's offense. His shiftiness and proficiency as a pass catcher out of the backfield is incredibly valuable to the Bears. However, Cohen's contract is set to expire after 2020. He won't demand a ton of money, so Chicago really shouldn't hesitate in offering him an extension.

1. Allen Robinson

Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson
Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson / Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

Let's keep in mind that this list is entirely from the Bears perspective. In that case, Allen Robinson, whose contract expires after the upcoming season, absolutely deserves a spot here. He may seek greener pastures as a free agent, but that shouldn't stop Chicago from trying to lock him up. After all, he's by far the team's most dynamic and talented wide receiver. To think that he hauled in 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns with Trubisky throwing his passes in 2019 is mind-blowing. Letting the former Pro Bowler walk would be an unforgivable mistake from general manager Ryan Pace, who's already on the hot seat.