Ebron is the guy i would take shot on. I'd imagine he'd come at a reasonable price and he's only 27. He's as good as gone in Indy from what i've read

Agreed. I would definitely like to see him here.

And yeah, he is done in Indy. "Colts GM Chris Ballard said, "We'll probably move on" when asked about impending free agent Eric Ebron."

he's proven he can be an effective red zone threat... something the bear sorely need (13 td's in 2018)

That's with Andrew Luck throwing the ball. Big downgrade when Air Mitch is behind center.

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Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
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2013 CSFMB ROY

At least he would have another target other than Robinson

Rookie TE rarely make a big impact. We need somebody who can make plays yesterday

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You have to be very careful with Ebron. That dude loves to play at half speed and has a shitty catch percentage.

He is an elite talent at his best but he is more than happy to just cash checks for 10-15 years, switching cities every 3 years.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I'm very confident he would smash the production of all 6 of our tight ends cumulative yards and catches his first year.

Add up those bums from last year and you get about 45 catches for 400 yards.

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Austin Hooper seems like a perfect fit and Atlanta has cap problems.

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I agree with this 100 percent. He is young, talented and his production has increased in the 4 years he has been in the league. The Falcons do not seem committed to him anyway, as you said they have cap problems. I found a quote from the Falcons owner: "I think he's worthy, certainly, of a new contract based on market. Whether that fits in with us and our salary cap remains to be seen."

Sounds to me like he is on his way out. Would love to see him here.

So Greg Olsen is officially signing with Seattle. 1 year, 7 million, 5.5 million guaranteed.

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Not worth that money. The Bears were smart.

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I wonder if this means they will let Hollister become unrestricted or that they are going with two TE. Hollister is a nice, under the radar free agent at tight end. He is restricted.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Good for him. I hope he has a good season.

Also, agree with Nas.

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that's way too much. I guess we'll just have to roll without a TE again this year.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

There are younger and better TE available in FA. Of course, just about everyone is younger than the 35 year old Olsen.

Hooper and Henry would be great gets. They will cost some money. Spotrac has their market values at 9.9 and 8.9. I'd gladly pay those numbers over 7 for Olsen

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Yep!

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Right now, Hooper would be our best bet. Young, talented and his production keeps increasing. Atlanta has cap problems, and the Falcons already hinted that he will not re-sign with the team.

I would be really excited if the Bears signed Hooper.

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I would definitely have a little more optimism in (Pro Bowl QB) Trubisky for next year if we signed Hooper, and another receiving threat via FA.

And Hooper would have a little more optimism if the Bears replaced (Pro Bowl QB) Trubisky.

_________________
Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

Agreed!

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

A 25 year old pro bowl TE is going to cost like ONE BILLION DOLLARS.

_________________
Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

According to Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times:

The Bears want to take a big swing in free agency, and they intend to make a run at two-time Pro Bowl TE Austin Hooper. - Feb 27.

Reading that there may be a bunch more cap room allotted which would allow for a run at a vet QB. If they bring in a proven vet QB it makes sense to bring in Hooper or Ebron because they would have a QB that can recognize coverage and know how to use a TE consistently as a check down for a free 5-7 yards. If they stick with Mitch it would likely be a waste of money because he has yet to show the ability to number one identify the best matchup and number two and most importantly, is consistently inconsistent with his accuracy.

We could swing it if we guaranteed him 32 million and back loaded it. 5- 45 million.

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Ebron is quite a few steps lower in quality than Hooper unless being on his third team in his career lights a fire under his butt.

My #2 choice would be Hunter Henry. He is only my #2 because of durability issues otherwise I like him better than Hooper and I think you get him at a much cheaper price. He is a more complete TE and gets open downfield. He would be a really good player in a two TE set.

I think we have to realize that while Hooper is a pro bowl player, he isn't in the elite for the position. His yards per catch isn't that great (and you know Mitch loves to throw short). His long catch each year isn't great (I remember when he caught that 88 yarder three years ago where it looked like a coming out party for him). He hasn't caught a lot of TD. He also is an average blocker.

He would be a huge upgrade but you have to understand that you aren't getting Kittels, Kelce, etc. He is not a guy you give a blank check to.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I have been an advocate for bringing Hooper here for a while, but my only concern is that some of us (especially me) may be a little too idealistic about expectations if he comes here.... (Pro Bowl QB) Trubisky is no Matt Ryan.