When 2025 NFL free agency opens in just two weeks, the Chicago Bears may need to replace veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, and CBS Sports thinks they will turn to another former All-Pro to fix their problem.
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports recently broke down the free-agent wide receiver market, which will begin rumbling when talks formally begin at noon E.T. on March 10, and highlighted a number of landing destinations for the best talents expected to enter the market.
While Allen, who the Bears must re-sign to keep in 2025, made the list, Podell also ranked Chicago as one of the “best team fits” for former $96 million All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, whose deal with the Houston Texans expires in two weeks.
He even projected the Bears could sign Diggs for less than $15 million per year.
“Going to a place where there’s already an established No. 1 option would make the most sense,” Podell said Monday. “Although at this stage of Diggs’ career, he may just want to chase the biggest check that would involve a high number of targets.”
Are the Bears the right fit for Stefon Diggs, who is coming off an injury?
A swing for Diggs might have seemed overly ambitious for the Bears two years ago, if not last year, but that may not be the case during the 2025 summer.
When the Texans signed Diggs last offseason, the idea was that he would provide quarterback C.J. Stroud with a consistent throwing target for the 2024 season while also increasing his worth for his first free agency in 2025. Unfortunately for him, his season was cut short as he tore his ACL against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8.
Now, Diggs — who will turn 32 in November — is looking for a team ready to take a chance on him after a season-ending knee injury. He may choose to select a landing point where he can ensure the most constant targets, but this is dependent on his options and whether he values excellent money, a strong job, or a shot at a title more.
If Diggs likes what the Bears are doing under new head coach Ben Johnson, or if he wants to exact revenge on his old Minnesota Vikings teammates, Chicago could make sense. They have the cap capacity to make him a hefty offer, and even with D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze returning, they need to find a consistent replacement for Allen on the roster.
For one year and $15 million, the Bears could do far worse than Diggs.
The Bears will have other receiver options in free agency.
Whether the Bears spend $15 million or more on a wide receiver in free agency may be determined by Johnson’s desire to improve the firepower of his new offense, but it appears unlikely that they would invest so much money in the position with Moore making $27.5 million per year and Odunze entering the second year of his first-round rookie contract.
Even yet, don’t be surprised if the Bears sign a seasoned wide receiver.
While the Bears may not want to spend the money required to acquire Diggs, Amari Cooper, or Chris Godwin, there are several bargain options who could fill the third or fourth receiver role. Darius Slayton, K.J. Osborn, and Marquise Brown are all under 30 years old and might provide further experience to the receiver corps.
There’s also Tim Patrick, who revitalized his career in Detroit under Johnson’s tutelage last season after suffering season-ending injuries the previous two years.