Kyle Fuller rumors: Bears not re-signing him

The Chicago Bears spent a first-round pick back in 2014 on cornerback Kyle Fuller, but it appears they’ll be moving on from each other coming free agency.

General manager Ryan Pace is going to have some explaining to do if Kyle Fuller gets out of the Windy City. After the franchise spent a 2014 first-round pick on the star corner out of Virginia Tech, Fuller disappointed throughout his first three seasons.

Due to his inconsistent play, Pace decided to decline his fifth-year option on the rookie deal, all but stating his intent to let Fuller go after the 2017 campaign. Then, Fuller stepped up and became one of the better cornerbacks in the game last season, and is now set to cash in on the open market. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Bears will not be able to retain him.

Fuller, 26, will have a hoard of teams going after him. Considering his age and pedigree, Fuller is going to have a litany of calls, likely coming from the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, among others.

Kansas City would be an intriguing fit considering it traded for Kyle’s brother, Kendall, during Super Bowl week in the Alex Smith deal. The trade won’t be official until the start of the new league year on March 14.

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If Pace decided to change his mind and attempt to sign Fuller, he does have the leverage of the franchise tag. The Bears have cap space and could use $16 million of it to tag Fuller, which would keep him with the team for at least another year. The sides would have until mid-July to work out a long-term extension.