Bears' Offseason Guide Entering 2021 NFL Season

The Chicago Bears' 2020 campaign came crashing to an end on Sunday. They were ousted from the postseason by the New Orleans Saints in a defensive battle that ended in a 21-9 Saints advantage. Now, Chicago must turn its attention to the looming offseason and the process of rebuilding.

There are several questions that the Bears will need to answer in the coming weeks. The future of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace is chief among them. It wouldn't be a shock to see all three return, and it wouldn't surprise if any or all of them are replaced.

Chicago will also need to retool a roster that was only good enough for eight wins, and with a tight cap situation, that could prove difficult.

Here, we'll dive into some of the biggest questions, storylines and priorities for Chicago's 2021 offseason.

The NFL salary cap is expected to dip in 2021, and that leaves the Bears in a precarious situation. Chicago is projected to be just over the salary cap and will have to free up some space before free agency kicks off on March 17.

Chicago will also be armed with the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the second-highest spot of any playoff participant.

Several notable players are expected to hit the open market, including wide receiver Allen Robinson II, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, receiver/runner/returner Cordarelle Patterson, linebacker Barkevious Mingo, safety Tashaun Gipson, tackle Germain Ifedi and defensive end Brent Urban.

Then, there's the future of Nagy, which potentially might not be in Chicago.

"We haven’t gotten into any of that yet, in regards to that stuff," Nagy said, per Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. "We've been so focused in on this game. . . . That'll be down the road."

Expect the Bears to make a decision on Nagy and Pace in the coming days.

What wide receiver Allen Robinson II has been able to accomplish this season has been remarkable. Despite inconsistent quarterback play from Trubisky and Nick Foles, Robinson still managed to rack up 1,250 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 102 receptions.

Robinson is a legitimate No. 1 wideout, which is something Chicago will need, regardless of who is under center in 2021. The problem is that several other franchises need a No. 1 target and will be interested in Robinson on the open market.

Given Chicago's cap situation, it's going to require some financial creativity to get Robinson back into the fold. However, he is the one play that the Bears absolutely must try to retain this offseason.

Anyone who watched Chicago's wild-card game against the Saints knows that the Bears aren't exactly loaded with offensive weapons. Losing their biggest one in free agency could be disastrous.

There's a reasonable chance that Nagy's job will be safe. He has made the postseason in two of his three years, and it's not like he's had the benefit of an elite quarterback. The future of former first-round draft pick and pending free agent Mitchell Trubisky, though, is far less certain.

Trubisky was benched for Foles early in the season, regained his job in Week 12 and then helped lead Chicago to the playoffs. He performed well enough, that some around the league believed the Bears might be forced to re-sign him.

"In the eyes of some NFL executives, Trubisky recently has played some of the best football of his career, making a case as to why Chicago will need to consider re-signing him," ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote.

However, while Trubisky played better down the stretch, many of his bad habits remained. He was off on touch passes, threw the ball to the other team and struggled to stretch the field with any consistency. He was totally ineffective against New Orleans on Sunday, completing more than 65 percent of his passes but for just 199 yards.

While Trubisky may still be a serviceable NFL starter, it's become clear that he isn't going to elevate the talent around him. Chicago now must decide if serviceable will be good enough for 2021 and/or if it can afford to bring in a superior signal-caller.