Monday, September 28, 2015

Fire sale for Bears begins: Jared Alled traded to Panthers

The Chicago Bears have agreed to a trade that will send defensive end Jared Allen to the Carolina Panthers, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. For now, the compensation hasn't yet been announced, but is reportedly a conditional draft pick.
The Bears already paid Allen an $11.5 million roster bonus, and the Panthers receive a defensive end with no money due to him beyond the 2015 season and only $823,529 more headed his way for the remainder of the year. Overall, Allen made $14.62 million in 18 games with the Bears, roughly $2.66 million per sack, according to Albert Breer.
Allen, 33, is ninth all-time in sacks in NFL history with 134, but hadn't recorded one in the first three games of the season for the Bears. With a transition to a 3-4 defense, Allen was playing outside linebacker for the first time in his career after 11 seasons as a defensive end.
The Panthers are off to a 3-0 start and likely view Allen as a way to improve a pass rush that is already tied for seventh in the NFL with seven sacks through three games. Still, Greg Hardy is no longer on the defensive line and Charles Johnson has already been ruled out for Week 4 after suffering a hamstring injury in the team's Week 3 victory against the New Orleans Saints.
For Chicago, the trade makes sense for a team that is already 0-3 and hasn't received much value from Allen in 2015. With the defensive transition in place and plenty of struggles to overcome on offense, cashing in a 33-year-old pass rusher for a pick makes sense, regardless of the round.
The Panthers are currently tied with the Atlanta Falcons at the top of the NFC South with a pair of undefeated records. In Week 4, the Panthers travel to face the 1-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

No comments:

Post a Comment