The stage is set for Alshon Jeffery. Sixteen games, $14.6 million and the next five-plus months to prove where he should be categorized among NFL receivers. Those are the dynamics Jeffery now faces, by necessity, as he heads toward a second consecutive contract year, this time wearing the franchise tag label.
Theoretically, the Bears have until 3 p.m. Friday to meet Jeffery's request for a long-term extension.
But it would take a dramatic twist at this point _ i.e.: Jeffery and his agent dramatically reducing their salary expectations _ for the negotiation stalemate to end.
So don't lose sleep wondering if Friday's deadline pressure will persuade the Bears to lock up their top receiver for the long haul. (It won't.)
And don't misread the front office's firm stance on the matter as an unwillingness to invest in Jeffery. (It isn't.)
What this has become, for both the receiver and the franchise, is a sensible test drive. Prove to us Alshon, the bosses at Halas Hall have ordered, that you truly are a top-tier receiver. Show us you can stay healthy and produce and take your game up a notch. And if you do, we'll reward you accordingly.
Just not now.
That posture at Halas Hall was made clear long ago. Sure, general manager Ryan Pace never officially closed the door on finding a path to a long-term deal. But the front office also has had no delusions in believing the gap between Jeffery's contract wishes and their appraisal would ever close.
So Jeffery will play this season on the tag and the Bears will prod and challenge him constantly, pushing him to be at his best.
Know this much: Jeffery wants to be paid like and seen as an elite receiver. Last year at this time, the Broncos' Demaryius Thomas and the Cowboys' Dez Bryant each shed the franchise tag to land lucrative (and nearly identical) deals. Thomas' five-year, $70 million contract included $43.75 million in guaranteed money. Bryant got $45 million guaranteed on his five-year, $70 million deal.
But both players were coming off prolific Pro Bowl seasons and had established themselves as key playmakers for division champions.
Jeffery? He missed seven games with soft-tissue injuries last season for a 10-loss, last-place team. He ranked 58th in the NFL in catches (54) and 42nd in yards (807). So no, rewarding Jeffery with an elite deal wasn't a precedent the Bears were interested in setting.
Instead, they'd like to see a little something more this season. And if they do, they'll have more than two months before free agency opens in March to hammer out a new contract.
At his best, Jeffery's talent is undeniable. In 2013, his best season, he put together a highlight-reel season that included 89 grabs, 1,421 yards, seven touchdowns and an invitation to the Pro Bowl. But that came in a pass-happy offense, with Marc Trestman calling the plays and Brandon Marshall across from Jeffery, attracting significant attention from defenses.
It remains to be seen just how consistently explosive Jeffery can be as the Bears' No. 1 receiver. Jeffery did record four 100-yard games last season. But in his first season with coach John Fox and his first without Marshall, he couldn't stay on the field, struggling with calf, hamstring and groin issues.
The Bears believe they can make Jeffery tougher. They hope he can become a perennial Pro Bowl playmaker. They envision him as part of their long-term plans. But there's also little to gain by forcing the issue, by rushing into an expensive commitment to a player who didn't exactly excel in his first contract year.
The team's risk, of course, is that if Jeffery explodes in 2016, his market value will too. But it's a gamble Pace is willing to take.
As for Jeffery's mindset? Don't mistake his absence from most of the Bears' offseason program as petulance. And don't confuse his laid-back (and often confusing) explanation of his motives as some form of prima donna detachment. It's not that.
Jeffery is simply wired differently than most pass catchers of his ilk, reserved and low-key in a manner that can be misconstrued as apathy. When Jeffery says he doesn't spend much time worrying about his contract and future earnings, he's being sincere.
The real question is how badly he wants to be special as a playmaker. Enough that he will do everything within his power to fight through injuries? Enough that he will invest time and effort in taking care of his body? Enough that he will be all-in with the plans Pace and Fox lay out for him?
When asked last month what he'd done during his offseason training in Florida to assure last year's nagging injuries wouldn't become a trend, Jeffery shrugged.
"I mean, I did some things this offseason to prevent them," he said. "But overall with injuries, this is the game of football. There is a 99 percent chance you are going to get hurt."
Not exactly a motto the Bears' marketing team wants to start stamping on T-shirts.
Asked later what he needs to show to prove he's worthy of a long-term deal, Jeffery wore a grin that was softer than his voice.
"I'll let my game take care of itself," he said. "Everything else is going to get sorted out."
For both the receiver and the Bears, that now means five-plus months and 16 games to collect additional evidence on what kind of player Jeffery is.
