Bears among 6 teams whose aggressiveness shows they're desperate for contention

Henry McKenna

NFL Reporter

There’s a whole lot of fool’s gold in the NFL offseason. Teams have money and draft picks to spend. So that’s what they do, in hopes of getting back into the playoffs — or getting deeper into the postseason (and eventually winning a Super Bowl).

We’ve seen plenty of measured approaches this offseason, with teams clearly looking for specific players to fill a specific need. And when the match looks good, they pull the trigger.

The teams below are not taking that measured approach. Their moves hint at a sense of desperation — whether it’s for playoff contention or Super Bowl contention. To be clear, that doesn’t make these moves bad. Sometimes you have to overpay to get a good player. Sometimes, you have to make a big move to get the arrow trending upward.

These teams have taken big swings in the trade market and in free agency. We’ve seen desperation showing up in all sorts of transactions and pursuits. In other words, this list is not simply about who spent the most money.

Let’s dive in.

6. Las Vegas Raiders

You want to make a change? You either get a new QB, coach or GM.

Well, the Raiders did all three.

They did an organizational overhaul, bringing in coach Pete Carroll, GM John Spytek and quarterback Geno Smith. You can argue about the necessity of replacing the coach and GM. But there was no question that a QB acquisition was in order.

The Raiders will need to keep building. They lack the requisite talent in the AFC West. But by replacing every one of the most important leadership positions (which includes QB), the Raiders showed they’re ready to get aggressive to claw their way back into the hunt.

5. Washington Commanders

It feels like they’ve made one big move after another this offseason.

They made the trade for left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Then the trade for receiver Deebo Samuel. Then the signing of defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.

In the cases of Tunsil and Samuel, those stars are trending away from their prime. But they could fill a key need for the remainder of Jayden Daniels’ rookie deal. In the case of Kinlaw, he’s not exactly a premium player — but they paid him as such ($45 million, three years), in part because of the void Jonathan Allen left behind when he signed with the Vikings.

This isn’t so much a sign of desperation as it is a surprising statistic, but Washington inked 43 new deals (with returners and acquisitions) this year. The Commanders have been extremely busy making sure their roster is in shape for Daniels, their instant success at quarterback. He was ahead of schedule. It seems they’re making sure they keep up from a team-building perspective.

4. Chicago Bears

It started with the decision to hire coach Ben Johnson. And that deal was … bold.

On a six-year, $65 million deal, per ESPN, Johnson is set to make more annually than Chargers coach John Harbaugh — or Johnson’s former boss, Lions coach Dan Campbell, according to Sportico’s info from 2024. It’s rare to see a first-time head coach shoot to the top of the league in terms of earning power.

Then once Johnson arrived, he spent big money (and draft assets) dissembling and assembling the team’s offensive line. The Bears traded for Pro Bowl guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed the top center on the market, Drew Dalman. The offensive line is always a good place to put your dollars. And we’ve seen that work out just fine. Look at the Chiefs in 2021. (Thuney was actually a part of that, too, with Orlando Brown, Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey.) But we’ve also seen an O-line overhaul create the same mess — at a great cost. Look at the Jets in 2024.

You could argue that’s not desperation — it’s good sense. And I wouldn’t fault you. (But come on, we all know the Bears are desperate for a good offensive line.) The move that smacked most of desperation? Their three-year, $43.5-million deal with 31-year-old DT Grady Jarrett.

The Bears are desperate to help Caleb Williams develop into a generational QB — after entering the NFL last year as a generational prospect. Again, it’s smart to throw everything at the wall to help the QB. And that’s what they’re doing. There’s a lot of money at work here.

Will Bears reinforcing the trenches help Caleb Williams develop?

3. Cincinnati Bengals

On the surface, you look at the Bengals’ offseason and wonder why they’re on this list. There isn’t a single team that can match New England’s spending. And Cincinnati, in particular, doesn’t come close. But the Bengals come a whole lot closer than you’d think — thanks to new deals for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Cincy spent $164.8 million in guarantees this offseason.

We’ve seen teams commit major deals to two receivers before. The 49ers did it with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk — with one year of overlap. And the Dolphins are still making it work with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. We’ll see for how long Cincy’s situation is viable. (And Higgins’ contract, in particular, might be the most team-friendly deal on the market.) It may not be unprecedented, but it’s extremely aggressive.

That speaks to the team’s commitment to Joe Burrow. And … the desperate lengths the Bengals are willing to go to make him happy. The QB wanted both WRs. He could’ve made things complicated for the Bengals after he carried them through a year when everyone except Burrow underachived. So the Bengals did what they had to and gave Burrow what he wanted. And they’re probably isn’t done, next trying to extend edge Trey Hendrickson. If they get his deal done, maybe the Bengals’ guaranteed dollars spent will be comparable to New England’s.

Ja’Marr Chase & Tee Higgins: Jordan Schultz reveals exclusive inside story

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s unfair to assume that Aaron Rodgers will land with the Steelers. Because anything can happen with Rodgers. Even after the Vikings committed to J.J. McCarthy, they also simultaneously left the door open for Rodgers. So … who knows?

But that’s sort of the point.

The Steelers chose this path for themselves. And they’d be foolish to have expected anything different. (Rodgers did exactly this to the Jets.) So I’d say the Steelers’ commitment to Rodgers is, unto itself, a sign of desperation. They decided not to re-sign Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Neither QB lit it up at a sustained clip. Neither was bad. And if longtime coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t earning the reputation of Jeff Fisher 2.0, I think the Steelers might have settled for another year with one of those guys. But because the Steelers win 10 games every season and zero games almost every offseason, Tomlin seems to be pressing at QB.

It’s not just about Rodgers, by the way.

The Steelers traded for receiver DK Metcalf, one of the most explosive playmakers in the NFL. His physicality and athleticism are what make him superlative, and he’s 27 years old, perhaps in the final years of his prime. It’s a similar story with cornerback Darius Slay, 34, a free-agent addition who is pretty clearly past his prime.

To be clear, I like the additions of Metcalf and Slay. They’re premium players at premium positions. There’s always risk. I would’ve liked to have seen the Steelers bolster their offensive line, but maybe that’s coming in the draft.

But the Steelers are sort of acting like their 10-win streak is a bad thing. It’s actually an enviable position. Just ask the Patriots or Browns or Jaguars.

1. New England Patriots

The Patriots don’t like losing. This offseason shows they really don’t like losing.

New England fired Bill Belichick after his third sub-.500 season during his two-decade tenure with the team. In 2024, the Patriots fired their coach again, this time jettisoning Jerod Mayo for a 4-13 record in his first season.

Under new coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots got to work in free agency to turn things around. New England essentially said to its fan base: You wanna get nuts. Let’s get nuts. So far, the Patriots have spent $220 million in guaranteed dollars on the whole class (including to retain their own free agents). When it comes to new players, New England is up to $365.2 million in new contract dollars with $196.3 million guaranteed. When adding in the players the Patriots retained in free agency, it comes out to $220.6 million in guarantees.

So let’s look at the names: defensive tackle Milton Williams; receiver Stefon Diggs; cornerback Carlton Davis; linebackers Harold Landry and Robert Spillane; offensive linemen Morgan Moses, Garrett Bradbury and Wes Schweitzer; quarterback Joshua Dobbs; and edge K’Lavon Chaisson — among others.

New England largely rebuilt its defense in Vrabel’s image after the Patriots allowed the 11th-most points in 2024 (24.5). But I thought they’d be more aggressive on offense, where they were third-worst in scoring, with just 17 points per game. It’s possible New England isn’t done adding on Drake Maye’s side of the ball.

What’s clear is that New England doesn’t expect to get pushed around on the field or in the standings in the years to come. The Patriots paid handsomely to make sure that doesn’t happen anymore.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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