3 Teams Interested in Trade for Bears' $72 Million Cut Candidate: Report

The Chicago Bears are not facing a number of potentially hurtful cuts to their roster ahead of the new league year on March 11, but there is at least one name on that list.

Starting linebacker and former captain Tremaine Edmunds, who is entering the final season of his four-year, $72 million contract, is among the top cut candidates in Chicago on most lists floating around NFL media this offseason.

However, a development that could make losing Edmunds hurt less is if the Bears could trade him rather than cut him in the coming days.

"One player who has strong trade value and a decent chance to be dealt is Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds," Jeremy Folwer of ESPN reported on Sunday, March 1. "The Titans, Raiders and Giants are among teams interested in high-end linebackers, and they like Edmunds, who's only 27 despite eight years in the league. He was granted permission to seek a trade earlier this week."

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Chicago will save the exact same amount, $15 million, by trading or cutting Edmunds either before June 1 or with a post-June 1 designation. Either of those four moves will cost the Bears a little more than $2.4 million in a dead cap hit as well.

The franchise will execute a cut or a trade with a pre-June 1 designation, however, as doing so will free up the $15 million in salary cap space soon enough to use it once free agency officially begins 10 days from now. Chicago can use that money to invest in a pass-rusher or a left tackle, assuming the team doesn't believe it is likely to find suitable rookies at those positions in April's draft.

A trade is obviously the best-case scenario, because that means the Bears will get a draft asset of some value in return.

Given Edmunds' age, remaining skill set and history as a two-time Pro Bowler (), not to mention potentially competing offers for his services from the three interested teams Fowler mentioned, the linebacker could garner an early Day 3 pick (perhaps fifth-round value, or the like) in trade.

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