The Chicago Bears are a fascinating case study in football business.

They will pay out about two-thirds of the NFL salary cap in 2022. With the majority of their players on fixed and

fair initial contracts, they are more like a postgraduate team than a professional one when they play.

There are very few high-paid players on Chicago's squad.

The Bears have a payroll of about $140 million; the 2022 salary cap is $208 million. For context, the Bears' payroll is as follows:

• $18 million less than the Falcons, the second-lowest-spending team in the NFL.

$85 million less than the $225 million league average payroll.

About $150 million less than the Rams, the league's highest-spending team.

And of the three highest-paid players, Robert Quinn ($12.2 million) and Roquan Smith ($9.16 million) who are currently

playing for the Eagles and Ravens, respectively, the majority of their salaries were paid by this amount.

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