Brad Biggs: Ryan Pace and the cap-crunched Bears have heavy lifting ahead of them as they plan for a QB — and many other parts — heading into free agency

CHICAGO — All of the focus for the Chicago Bears is on acquiring a quarterback, but not to be forgotten is what the team can do to improve the roster around that position.

To think only Mitch Trubisky and to a lesser extent Nick Foles are to blame for the team’s 16-16 regular-season record over the last two seasons is to miss the point, and the Bears realize they have gray areas to fortify in preparation for a pivotal season for general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy.

It all starts with the quarterback. Surely everything is not on the table, as Pace suggested Tuesday. That would suggest the Bears didn’t make proper use of the nearly two months they have had since a playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints to rule out many options.

The Bears must have a handful of plans in place, starting with aiming big for a trade candidate, potentially pursuing a free agent such as Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jameis Winston or even drafting a quarterback.

The thinking among multiple sources is the Bears have prioritized making a run at Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. His agent included the team on a list of four clubs Wilson would approve a trade to, although it hasn’t yet reached the point where he’s asked out. Two of the other three teams on Wilson’s list probably can be ruled out. The New Orleans Saints are mired in salary-cap hell and the Dallas Cowboys are expected to keep Dak Prescott. The fourth is the Las Vegas Raiders, and they’ve showed strong public support for Derek Carr.

Whether Seattle actually considers trading Wilson could hinge on the Seahawks’ ability find a quarterback that would keep them in a win-now mode, and that’s another complicating factor.

Pace said they’re considering “different combinations,” meaning the team will need to add parts to the offense — line, wide receiver, tight end — and defense after fitting the quarterback’s contract into the 2021 picture.

The Bears are among a group of teams that will be hit hard by a reduced salary cap. Pace said the Bears expect it to come in at about $180 million, and some have suggested it could creep up to about $185 million. It was $198.2 million in 2020. That’s not a difference of $13 million to $18 million because teams plan and budget with the future in mind, expecting an annual rise of about $10 million. So if the 2021 cap comes in at $180 million, it’s actually going to be about $28 million below where the Bears figured it would be at this time a year ago — before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the sports landscape.

The franchise has been creatively creating cap space pretty much annually by restructuring the contracts of many of its highest-paid players, a group that includes Khalil Mack, Charles Leno, Cody Whitehair, Eddie Goldman, Kyle Fuller and Kyle Long. While that helps the team in the short term, it makes those numbers larger on the back side of the deals, which is something the team is grappling with right now with a player such as Fuller, who is carrying a $20 million cap hit in the final year of his contract. That’s why an extension for Fuller makes sense, but he has leverage because the Bears lack depth at the position and would be hard-pressed to release him.

Free safety Eddie Jackson is a prime candidate for a restructure to lower his cap hit of $11.45 million. Maybe the Bears will take a similar approach with outside linebacker Robert Quinn, who has a $14.7 million cap hit but has a fully guaranteed base salary of $11.5 million. The Bears could attack the problem by moving cap commitments into future years when the overall cap number is expected to rise, especially after the NFL finalizes new television contracts and the pandemic is in the past.

But the Bears have difficult decisions ahead. Using an estimate of $180.5 million for a 2021 salary cap, overthecap.com calculated the Bears are more than $6.9 million over the cap after the release nickel cornerback Buster Skrine. Six teams have a bigger cap deficit, and all must be in compliance by March 17, the start of the new league year. That estimate comes before a 2020 cap rollover, which will credit the Bears about $7.6 million.

Pace is going to be busy making roster decisions on current players while continuing to sort through the quarterback maze. When thinking about combinations, let’s look at the spots that have to be filled.

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— Quarterback: Unless the Bears plan to roll with Nick Foles and a draft pick, they have to create room for a newcomer. If they trade for a quarterback, they might explore a renegotiation to make the contract that comes with him a better fit. Wilson is set to earn $19 million this season, not an exorbitant amount when looking at the cap. Keep in mind Seattle would take a $39 million cap hit if it trades Wilson before June 1, another potential obstacle to a deal.

— No. 1 wide receiver: The Bears can keep Allen Robinson in place with the franchise tag, which would come at a price of nearly $18 million. So to tag Robinson, the Bears would have to create a huge chunk of space. If they don’t tag Robinson, they’ll need to find a go-to wide receiver, which won’t be cheap. Remember: That doesn’t include the space they’ll need to add a quarterback as well. One more thing to consider: If the Bears want to remain a potentially attractive destination for Wilson, don’t they have to ensure Robinson remains on their roster?

— Strong safety: Three players have started next to Eddie Jackson over the last three seasons — Tashaun Gipson, HaHa Clinton-Dix and Adrian Amos — and unless the Bears re-sign Gipson, it will be four in four years.

— Nickel cornerback: Finding a veteran might not be a luxury the Bears have with a cap crunch, which means seeing whether Duke Shelley or Kindle Vildor can handle the job.

— Defensive line depth: Roy Robertson-Harris is expected to get a pretty solid payday in free agency, and the Bears can’t afford him. Mario Edwards Jr., Brent Urban, John Jenkins and Daniel McCullers are free agents, so while this isn’t a pressing need, the Bears must find at least two players who can fit nicely into the rotation.

— Specialists: Kicker Cairo Santos, punter Pat O’Donnell and long snapper Patrick Scales are all out of contract. The Bears either have to pay Santos after his record-setting season or face the prospect of seeing him exit via free agency and then searching for a kicker. Again.

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The Bears can create $7 million in cap space if they cut 34-year-old tight end Jimmy Graham, who led the team with eight touchdown receptions. They can create $5.4 million in cap space if the cut right tackle Bobby Massie. But if those players are cut, it would create two roster needs.

Perhaps the Bears are considering approaching Graham or Massie about playing for less money next season. If Pace trades his first-round pick in a blockbuster deal to add a quarterback — or plans to use that pick to draft a quarterback — the chance of finding a Day 1 starting right tackle in the draft is greatly reduced. Maybe the Bears would consider having Massie at their price to at least give them an option if they figure a quarterback would be in play with their first-round pick.

The good news for the Bears is that it’s going to be a bloodbath over the next 10 days or so as players are cut around the league with teams working to get into better cap position. A glut of experienced players is going to be on the street, creating a buyers’ market. Teams probably won’t be able to find a starting right tackle in the bargain bin who represents a legitimate upgrade but might find a functional tight end and certainly a veteran safety on the cheap.

“It’s going to be about adjusting,” Pace said. “We’re not the only team in the league that is dealing with these circumstances. Everyone’s prepping for at tighter cap. We have a plan in place. It involves different things. There’s different ways for us to create room with our cap, not just releasing players. That’s a hard part of the business.

“There’s a window here to improve our team. ... We have foundation pieces in place on our roster. We’ve proven we have a playoff-ready roster. We’ve been there two of the last three years and we’ve got a lot of young talent we need to develop. Obviously our expectations are much higher than that. But it’s about building upon what we already have, making the necessary strides.”