Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has been with three different teams over the past two years, but it appears he has finally found a home with the Chicago Bears. The Bears should do whatever they possibly can to re-sign Clinton-Dix in the upcoming free agency period.
Last offseason, Chicago allowed Adrian Amos to test the open market in free agency. By doing so, it allowed him to sign with the Green Bay Packers — the team that drafted Clinton-Dix n 2014.
Amos was given a four-year, $36 million contract to join the Packers. The Bears didn't seem fond of the idea of handing Amos a lucrative contract at the safety.
Therefore, after letting Amos depart in free agency, the Bears elected to sign Clinton-Dix to replace him. Unlike Amos, Chicago was able to lure Clinton-Dix in free agency with a one-year, $3 million contract. Upon signing the contract, it was essentially a prove-it deal for the veteran safety.
In his first season with the Bears, it's safe to say Clinton-Dix excelled in Chuck Pagano's defense. He started in all 16 games for the fifth straight season of his career. Furthermore, in those 16 starts, Clinton-Dix tallied 78 tackles, five deflections, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and a touchdown.
Clinton-Dix allowed a 67 passer rating in coverage in 2019, per Pro Football Reference.
Despite not making the playoffs, the Bears still boasted one of the best defenses in the NFL. That was in large part due to the job that Clinton-Dix did in replacing Amos in the secondary.
The former first-round pick of the Packers proved to be a vital piece for the defense in 2019. Considering that, Chicago can ill-afford to allow another talented safety to depart in free agency for the second straight offseason.
Looking at the current market for safeties, Clinton-Dix will likely command nearly $10 million annually. Heading into the offseason, the Bears are currently projected to have only $20.9 million in cap space per Spotrac.
Therefore, the Bears would likely have to create some room to extend an offer to the Pro Bowl safety. It's worth keeping Clinton-Dix around for the foreseeable future. Especially when you consider how he performed in 2019 and his potential moving forward.
Additionally, Clinton-Dix is only 27-years-old still and has plenty of years left in his prime. The Bears aren't going to find many safeties who create a better safety tandem than him and Eddie Jackson.
For Chicago to return to the level they were at in 2018, they have to retain as much of their defense as possible. Of course, that begins with keeping Clinton-Dix in their secondary.