Chicago Bears Release Notable Pair of Veterans Thursday

The offseason is officially underway.

The Chicago Bears have made some of the first moves across the league, as the team announced on Thursday that they've parted ways with a pair of notable veteran players.

Chicago did so in order to save some cap space, and there are now some additional holes to fill on the roster.

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Per Adam Schefter, the Bears are parting ways with Safety Eddie Jackson, and Offensive Lineman Cody Whitehair:

It's a lot of cap savings for a team that has possibly the biggest decision to make this offseason at the game's most important position: Quarterback.

Justin Fields could be back with the Bears for a fourth season, or they could trade him ahead of utilizing the #1 overall pick on USC's Caleb Williams, or any of the top quarterbacks in this year's class.

What happens in that situation remains to be seen, but its safe to say the Bears have a lot of large decisions to make.

Per ESPN.com, today's transactions save money, but result in substantial veteran losses on the roster:

Jackson, 30, has spent his entire seven-season career with the Bears, who picked him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.

 

Whitehair, 31, has spent his entire eight-season career with the Bears, who selected him in the second round of the 2016 draft, and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018.

The Chicago Bears hold the #1 and #9 overall picks in this year's NFL Draft, and are projected to have a total of 6 picks in the draft coming up in late April from Detroit.

Sources: Tankathon, ESPN.com and Adam Schefter on Twitter