Kyle Fuller, happy to be reunited with Vic Fangio in Denver, says the Chicago Bears’ decision to cut him didn’t blindside him: ‘I think I understood everything that was going on’

Kyle Fuller’s foray into free agency didn’t last long.

The Chicago Bears officially released their top cornerback Saturday, when he was included on the NFL’s personnel notice at 3 p.m. Less than a half-hour later, he had a one-year, $9.5 million contract done with the Denver Broncos, reuniting him with coach Vic Fangio and secondary coach Ed Donatell in what he called a “crazy process” when introduced to Denver media during a Zoom session Monday.

The Bears released Fuller to save $11 million against the salary cap, creating a major hole in their secondary while providing badly needed roster flexibility. The move was expected since before the new league year began Wednesday, and the Bears took their time in the hope they might be able to trade Fuller for a late-round pick or include him in an exchange of draft picks.

That didn’t happen, so Fuller’s seven-year run with the Bears ended with his release — but not before the team sought to keep him with a pay reduction. One source said the Bears sought to cut his base salary of $13 million nearly in half.

“I think I understood everything that was going on,” Fuller said Monday when asked if the Bears’ move surprised him. “I just took it for what it was.”

The move was disconcerting to some teammates. Shortly after Fuller was let go, free safety Eddie Jackson tweeted, “At this point,” and included a face palm emoji, as if he couldn’t stand to watch. A short while later, the post was deleted.

Bears management has talked about having a goal of keeping its best players, especially in relation to wide receiver Allen Robinson, but in cutting Fuller loose, the Bears clearly didn’t do that.

The Bears signed cornerback Desmond Trufant to a one-year contract, but it would be mildly surprising if he’s their top plan to replace Fuller. Trufant struggled in an injury-plagued season for the Detroit Lions last year and was limited to nine games in 2019 with the Atlanta Falcons.

His addition could be similar to the depth move the Bears made last year when they signed Artie Burns to a one-year contract. Burns was hailed as a potential starter, but the plan after drafting Jaylon Johnson in the second round was for the rookie to win the job.

The Bears need to add more competition at a position where they’re also down nickel cornerback Buster Skrine, whom they also released last week. Duke Shelley could be a candidate to take over his role, and the Bears have Kindle Vildor, a fifth-round draft pick who played sparingly as a rookie in 2020.

Johnson could ascend to become a No. 1 cornerback, but the Bears need more help if they want to mitigate the loss of the 29-year-old Fuller, a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Fuller had a career-best seven interceptions in 2018, Fangio’s last year as Bears defensive coordinator, and he really came on in 2017 after missing the entire 2016 season with a knee injury.

Fuller did not miss a game the last four seasons, while Johnson missed the final three regular-season games and the playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints with a shoulder injury. Fortunately, Johnson did not require surgery after the season, but the Bears have serious questions to answer in the secondary, where they also need to find a starting strong safety to pair with Jackson.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have rebuilt their secondary, signing Ronald Darby in addition to Fuller to team with another former Bear, Bryce Callahan.

“We were together for four years in Chicago, and Kyle kept improving in that time we were there,” Fangio said Monday. “And ultimately the last year we were together there, he had a Pro Bowl season. We’re going to do everything we can to get Kyle back to that 2018 form, and I know he’s excited to be here.”

Fuller was entering the final year of his contract with the Bears, who used the transition tag on him after the 2017 season and instantly matched a four-year, $56 million offer sheet he signed with the rival Green Bay Packers. Because the Bears restructured Fuller’s contract during the final week of the 2019 season to create cap space for 2020, it drove up his cap figure to $20 million for the 2021 season.

That made it difficult for the Bears to keep Fuller, but moving on from him won’t be easy in the NFC North, where the Packers and Minnesota Vikings have dangerous receivers on the outside.

Fuller said a depressed marketplace created by the salary-cap rollback made it inevitable he would wind up playing for less money this season. The Bears waiting until the fourth day of the league year to cut him didn’t help either. He said “this year will tell a lot” about his future, and that’s something he and Fangio are willing to bet on.

Now that Fuller is gone, the Bears’ only first-round pick who remains on the roster is inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who was selected No. 8 in 2018.