Before the league and NFL Players Association agreed to delay the start of the free-agent signing period, teams had been informed of the tender offers for restricted free agents.
Thursday originally had been the deadline for the Bears to make qualifying offers to linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer and defensive lineman Israel Idonije. The three-day delay pushed that deadline back.
The Bears will tender offers to both Hillenmeyer and Idonije, although it’s unclear at which level. An offer of $712,000 allows the Bears to match other offers. An offer of $1.55 million gives teams the rights of first refusal or first-round draft compensation. A $2.07 million offer provides first- and third-round draft compensation if an offer sheet isn’t matched.
With the Bears expected to address linebacker depth through either free agency or the draft, it’s unlikely Hillenmeyer would receive the highest offer.
The Bears considered signing a strong-side linebacker in free agency last off-season. Hillenmeyer responded by starting 12 of his 13 games and had eight tackles in the playoff loss to Carolina.
Leg up
The Bears reached terms on a two-year deal with Matt Fordyce, who kicked and punted at Fordham. The move is more a nod to training-camp competition than unhappiness with Robbie Gould or Brad Maynard. Gould was 21 of 27 on field goals during an impressive rookie season. Maynard struggled in the playoffs but had his typically solid regular season. Gould did struggle from 40-49 yards, converting only 3 of 8 kicks. Fordyce has spent each of the last two training camps with Arizona but has yet to kick in an NFL game.
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kcjohnson@tribune.com
