Brandon Marshall thinks Bears almost traded him to Patriots before 2014 season

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Imagine Brandon Marshall celebrating a Super Bowl victory on a float next to Tom Brady and watching Rob Gronkowski crushing a beer on another.

In an impromptu appearance on ESPN 1000 Friday morning, the ex-Bears wide receiver revealed that he was almost traded to the Super Bowl XLIX champion New England Patriots prior to the 2014 season.

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"I could've played for the Patriots last year," Marshall told ESPN 1000. "There was an opportunity where [the Bears] could have traded me before the season. There was a little tension [between Marshall's agent and the Bears] on the contract stuff. I thought I was worth a little more and I ended up settling. There were a couple of teams that were offering more money.

“It never got that far, but there was a possibility with a couple teams.”

After back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons with the Bears in 2012 and 2013, Marshall's production declined in a drama-filled 2014. In 13 games, he had 61 receptions for 721 yards and eight touchdowns before suffering a season-ending collapsed lung against the Dallas Cowboys in December, which ended up being Marshall's last game in a Bears uniform.

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Despite wanting to finish his career in Chicago the 31-year-old Marshall was traded on March 10 to the New York Jets for a 2015 fifth-round draft pick, which Bears GM Ryan Pace used on Penn State safety Adrian Amos.

Marshall mentioned to ESPN 1000 that he still spends his weekends in Chicago, but since getting dealt to the Jets he hasn't spoken with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

"Yeah, I just haven't talked to him," Marshall said. "We didn't talk at all, but it was kind of funny. Eric Decker sent out a picture of me relaxing with my feet up during downtime, and he sent out a group text to me, Brandon Stokley and Jay Cutler. So there was a little communication back and forth between those guys. But I haven't personally [talked to Cutler]."

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