When cornerback Nahshon Wright was released by the Vikings in April, there weren’t a lot of thoughts that he’d end the season in the Pro Bowl.
That’s what wound up happening, however. Wright signed with the Bears and became a starter for the NFC North champions. He had 80 tackles, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in the regular season and then helped the team to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Wright’s campaign left him heading into free agency on a high note and he was asked on SiriusXM NFL Radio about whether he’ll be prioritizing money or fit when it comes time to sign his next deal.
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” Wright said. “Obviously you want to be taken care of financially, but there’s the part where you still want to be able to compete on a high level. I think for me, honestly I like to play in more of an aggressive style of football. I haven’t done any deep dives into what teams kinda play similar to what we did in Chicago, but obviously I had a great season in Chicago due to the way we played. I would love to be back in Chicago, but I don’t necessarily know exactly what’s gonna happen.”
Wright said conversations with the Bears haven’t gotten to the point of contract details at this point, but he expects that to come with his agent set to meet with the team next week. If the Bears don’t re-sign him ahead of free agency, Wright figures to be a popular target for teams looking for help in their defensive backfield.
The Bears appear to be playing Indiana and Illinois against each other as they attempt to get state taxpayers’ help in building a new stadium. And today the Bears appear to be heading toward Indiana.
After the team and the governor of Indiana both put out statements saying they’re making progress on an agreement to build a stadium, the Illinois governor’s office put out a statement saying that was news to Illinois.
Matt Hill, a spokesman for Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, wrote on social media that as recently as yesterday, the Bears were representing to Illinois that things were heading in the right direction to pass a bill in the Illinois General Assembly that would keep the team in the state.
“Illinois was ready to move this bill forward,” Hill wrote. “After a productive three hour meeting yesterday, the Bears leaders requested the ILGA pause the hearing to make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois.”
The Bears have attempted to get taxpayer support to remain in Illinois, either with a new stadium at the same site as Soldier Field, or in the suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois, about 30 miles away. The proposed stadium site in Hammond, Indiana, is about 20 miles away.
The Bears have filled their vacancy at assistant General Manager with an internal promotion.
Chicago announced on Thursday that Jeff King has been elevated to the role.
King has been working his way up the Bears personnel department since joining the club as a scouting intern in 2015.
“We congratulate Jeff on his elevation within our football operations department,” General Manager Ryan Poles said in a statement released by the team. “Jeff has earned this promotion through his commitment to our team and his excellence within our operation, as well as the positive impact that he has created throughout our organization. We look forward to Jeff’s continued leadership and contributions as we work toward building a sustained winner.”
King was a Panthers fifth-round pick in 2006 and played 108 games with 84 starts for Carolina and Arizona through the 2012 season. He caught 156 career passes for 1,323 yards with 12 touchdowns.
King spent the last two seasons as Chicago’s senior director of player personnel.
“I’m super lucky,” King said in a statement released by the team. “I’ve been here 12 years. That doesn’t happen. When I walked in here 12 years ago as an intern, I didn’t think it would go this far, but I’ve been very lucky and appreciative of this organization because it is special.
“I am honored to be able to continue representing the Chicago Bears organization, and I am thankful and appreciative to George H. McCaskey, the McCaskey family, Kevin Warren and Ryan Poles for their trust and belief in me. This is a special organization. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to grow and develop here, starting as an intern, and I look forward to continuing to help build our team as we work toward our collective pursuit of sustained excellence.”
King replaces Ian Cunningham, who departed the franchise to become Atlanta’s General Manager in January.
The Chicago Bears are continuing to make noises about moving to Indiana.
Indiana Senate Bill 27, which would provide for a state-owned stadium that the Bears would play in, has strong support from the governor and state legislature, and the Bears released a statement today saying it’s a big step in the direction of moving out of Illinois.
“The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” the Bears’ statement said. “We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor Braun, Speaker Huston, Senator Mishler and members of the Indiana General Assembly in establishing this critical framework and path forward to deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe. We value our partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship together.”
Indiana Governor Mike Braun wrote on social media on Thursday morning that his state will continue to work on getting the Bears.
“Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears,” Braun wrote. “We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. If approved, the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 27 puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly. The State of Indiana moves at the speed of business, and we’ve demonstrated that through our quick coordination between state agencies, local government, and the legislature to set the stage for a huge win for all Hoosiers. We have built a strong relationship with the Bears organization that will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been less enthusiastic about using taxpayer dollars to help the Bears with a new stadium in Illinois.
One of the biggest stories of the offseason will be the future of Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. And one of the most obvious potential trade destinations, if the Raiders move him, is the Bears.
Crosby has remained largely quiet at the center of the storm of speculation, fueled by comments from folks like Jay Glazer, who said during Super Bowl week that Crosby is “done” with the Raiders.
A new interview of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on Crosby’s podcast is making waves.
The quote that has drawn the most attention is this one, from Crosby to Williams at the tail end of the 68-minute episode: “Just to be open and honest, bro, like we talked about earlier, but respect at a different level, bro. You’re one of those guys, for sure, and you’re just getting started. I don’t even know you understand yet how good you can be, and that’s the scariest part. You know what I mean? Just keep that mindset, keep doing what you’re doing. You know we’re locked in forever. So keep doing your thing, bro. You need me, hit me at any time. It goes vice versa.”
The Raiders have shown no inclination to trade Crosby. If Crosby truly has no intention to play for the Raiders, their choices could be to trade him or have him essentially retire.
And there’s a pipeline that was used nearly eight years ago, when the Raiders sent disgruntled defensive end Khalil Mack to the Bears for a package headlined by two first-round picks.
Could it happen again? First, the Raiders have to decide to trade Crosby. If they do, the Bears make plenty of sense.
