INDIANAPOLIS — Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was asked Thursday if he hoped to re-sign wide receiver Albert Wilson. He offered this revealing response:
“Well, Matt’s in Chicago," Veach said. "He knows all about him.”
This doesn’t confirm that the Bears are a stone-cold lock to sign Wilson, the versatile 25-year-old who caught 42 passes for 554 yards in Matt Nagy’s offense last year. But the connections are clear: The Bears need receivers, Nagy and Wilson worked together, and Wilson will be available when teams can begin negotiating contracts with free agents March 12.
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"When teams will watch Albert they’ll understand how valuable he is," Veach said. "We certainly feel the same way and would be super excited to get him back, but we know we have to go through the process here."
The 5-foot-9, 200 pound Wilson went undrafted back in 2014 but quickly impressed Kansas City coaches and personnel with a tough-nosed, savvy skillset.
"He’s a dirty, tough player," Veach said. "He does everything, from the slot to the outside. He can block. He can return if you need him to. He’s a very valuable commodity for us, and certainly has done a lot for us over the last few years.”
Wilson’s best spot is as a slot receiver, and it’s easy to envision him as a nice complementary piece to a more productive outside target (Cameron Meredith, Kevin White, or someone who isn’t on the Bears yet) and/or a productive tight end (Adam Shaheen, potentially). Wilson’s knowledge of Nagy’s offensive concepts could help quickly make him a reliable target for Mitchell Trubisky in 2018.
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So yes, it makes a lot of sense for the Bears to sign Wilson. It’s a move that, if it’s executed later this month, will have made sense ever since the Bears hired Nagy back in January. Veach’s comments on Thursday don’t necessarily guarantee the move will happen, but probably represent a feeling around the league that Wilson will, most likely, sign with the Bears.