| Chicago Bears: Free Agent Happenings | ||||
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Ok, so the Bears haven't signed any major names to the roster. T.O. is still out there. Ok, so never mind on that one, but the Bears have successfully kept 1 of 2 that they have hoped to keep on the team.
One, tackle John St. Clair, remains unsigned. But the Bears successfully kept backup running back Kevin Jones, who agreed Friday to the terms of a two-year contract. The deal is for $3.5 million. Between his signing bonus and next season’s base salary, Jones will make $2 million in the first year. Jones drew got calls from several teams and visited the Buffalo Bills this week. Unless another team was willing to pay him substantially more money and offer him a bigger role, he wanted to stay with the Bears. “I like the staff,” Jones said. “I like all my teammates. If you want an example of what an NFL team should be like – the coaching staff, everything – that’s it.” Jones, a 2004 first-round draft pick, joined the Bears last season after spending four years in Detroit. The Lions cut him soon after he underwent reconstructive knee surgery in December 2007. The Bears hoped Jones would form a productive rushing duo with rookie Matt Forte, but Forte ended up getting the vast majority of the carries. Jones finished with only 109 rushing yards on 34 attempts and was inactive for four games at midseason. In hindsight, Jones said, he was not back to full speed after the surgery. Hard to believe this after he ran a 4.3 forty yard dash in workouts for the Bears before being singed last year. “I’ve been saying [2009] will be my comeback year,” Jones said. Let's just hope that this is true. The Bears appreciated Jones’ attitude, especially the way he volunteered for special-teams duty to get on the field at the end of the season. Jones’ approach was a big reason why the team wanted him back, despite recognizing he could go elsewhere. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner has said the Bears will look to reduce Forte’s workload next season in the hope of preventing him from wearing down over the long term. That could mean more opportunities for a rejuvenated Jones. Retaining Jones also allows the Bears to keep Garrett Wolfe as one of the team’s primary special-teams players. Wolfe was a surprise star in that role last season, leading the coverage teams in tackles with 21. The Bears’ other free agents are quarterback Rex Grossman, safety Mike Brown, wide receiver Brandon Lloyd and linebacker Darrell McClover. None are expected to return, although none appear close to signing elsewhere.
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