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Reports: Bears Won't Use Franchise Tag On Alshon Jeffery, Making Him A Free Agent

(CBS) The Bears won't use the franchise tag on top receiver Alshon Jeffery, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com reported Monday morning. That means Jeffery will become a free agent.

The move by the Bears was an expected one, as they would've had to pay the 27-year-old Jeffery about $17 million this season if they used the franchise tag on him. Instead, he'll hit the open market, where he figures to garner plenty of interest.

The Bears used the franchise tag on Jeffery a year ago at this time, but they didn't want to pay him such a hefty salary after he once again failed to submit of full season of work. As far back as training camp last season, general manager Ryan Pace stressed that Jeffery's availability would be key in 2016 after he missed seven games in 2015 with four different soft-tissue injuries.

Jeffery was healthy this past season, but he missed four games due to a violation of the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He finished with 52 catches for 821 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.

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