The Bears signed left tackle Charles Leno to a four-year contract extension two weeks ago, but this week was the first time we heard from general manager Ryan Pace since the deal was signed.
A part of Pace’s explanation as to why the Bears made the move to sign Leno before he played a snap in 2017 is interesting:
“The locker room’s paying attention to who we’re rewarding,” Pace said. “And I think sending that message with Charles Leno is a good message.”
Leno is one of the few holdovers left from the Phil Emery era, a former seventh-round draft pick whose steady improvement and work ethic gained the respect of his teammates. Leno played every single offensive snap the Bears took in 2016, checking off an important box for coach John Fox: dependability. Leno also said all the right things about his future prior to signing his extension.
Count Kyle Long as one of the players for whom that message was well received.
“I’m so happy for Charles,” Long said. “He works so freaking hard. He makes me feel less than what I see, with all the work that he does. He’s poured himself into this game. You’ve seen him do that since the first day he got here. Couldn’t be happier for Charles Leno.”
The Bears believe they have their left tackle of the future in Leno, a 25-year-old whose arrow is pointing up. The Bears wouldn’t have guaranteed him over $20 million if they weren’t confident in his continued growth.
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“(He was) really locked into all his reps and everything he’s doing on the field and behind the scenes, it feels good,” Pace said. “We’ve talked about this, the best form of free agency is extending your own guys because you know the most about them. Charles is a great example of that. He does things the right way, he’s a true pro and I think he’s got better and better and he’s going to continue to ascend.”