Bears: Free agency

Bell re-signs with Bears

April, 25, 2012
Apr 25
2:41
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Chicago Bears backup running back Kahlil Bell re-signed with the club on Wednesday.

Bell signed the low tender offer worth $1.26 million over one season, as opposed to a long-term deal. The Bears tendered a qualifying offer to the veteran back in March.

Bell broke the news on his Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon.

"Just re-sign[ed] with the Bears today going on year number 4!!! God is so great. Blessed beyond belief!!!"

Bell appeared in 13 games with the Bears last season, including three starts, and rushed for 337 yards.

Bears sign G Rachal to one-year deal

April, 23, 2012
Apr 23
2:14
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The Chicago Bears signed former San Francisco 49ers guard Chilo Rachal to a one-year contract on Monday.

The 6-foot-5, 323-pound Rachal, a second-round pick out of USC in the 2008 draft, appeared in 55 games, making 38 starts in his four seasons with the 49ers.

LB McIntosh visits Bears

April, 18, 2012
Apr 18
8:52
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CHICAGO -- Veteran free-agent linebacker Rocky McIntosh visited the Chicago Bears this week, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

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Not surprising, but Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte likely won’t attend the start of the club’s voluntary offseason conditioning program starting on April 16 due to the stalemate between the sides in contract negotiations.

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Matt Forte
AP Photo/Nam Y. HuhThe key date for Matt Forte and the Bears is July 16, the deadline for teams to sign franchise players to multi-year extensions.
Designated the team’s franchise player, Forte received a tender from the team worth $7.7 million for the 2012 season. But if he doesn’t sign the tender or ink a long-term pact with the club in the next seven days, Forte won’t be in attendance for the voluntary workouts.

Bears coach Lovie Smith remains upbeat about the situation, saying just last week that he thinks the deal “will get done eventually.”

Although the sides don’t appear to be making much progress in working out a long-term agreement, the Bears continue to express optimism publicly. Forte’s representation, meanwhile, has remained silent in recent weeks.

“Contracts are a very individual matter and a very private matter,” Bears general manager Phil Emery said last week during a conference call with season-ticket holders. “So I’m not going to get into specifics. I will just say that we’re both working in a positive direction to come to a positive conclusion for everybody.”

Smith pointed out the fact Forte “hasn’t missed anything that we’ve ever done,” recently at the NFL owners meetings, adding that “I don’t think we need to get too caught up in it.” But given the lack of progress in negotiations, it appears Forte is poised to miss the start of the offseason conditioning program.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears addressed their depth at cornerback by agreeing to terms on one-year contracts with Kelvin Hayden and Jonathan Wilhite, the club announced on Thursday.

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Sources: Steinbach on Bears' radar

April, 4, 2012
Apr 4
1:14
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Colt McCoyAP Photo/Tony DejakEric Steinbach (65) left the Browns after being asked to take a significant pay cut.
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears made it known last month they were in the market for veteran help along the interior of their offensive line when they hosted Minnesota Vikings veteran Anthony Herrera on an official visit at Halas Hall.

Another name on the Bears' radar is veteran guard Eric Steinbach, who was released by the Cleveland Browns on March 14 after being asked to take a significant reduction in pay. The Bears and Seattle Seahawks are among the teams that have made inquiries about Steinbach, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The Baltimore Ravens might also be in the market for help at left guard, according to a source.

However, it's unclear if Steinbach will make any visits before the NFL Draft at the end of the month as he continues to recover from a back injury that forced the guard to miss the entire 2011 season.

Since entering the NFL as a second-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003, Steinbach has built a reputation as one of the top guards in the league. He started 124 games for the Bengals and Browns over the span of eight years, before undergoing a procedure that removed a disc fragment from his spinal nerve in August of last summer.

The veteran offensive lineman parted company with the Browns after being asked to take a significant reduction in pay. Steinbach, 32, signed a seven-year, $49.5 million contract with the Browns in 2007 and was set to earn $6 million this upcoming season.

A Chicago area product, Steinbach starred at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, Ill. before playing his collegiate ball at the University of Iowa, where he was named a first-team All-American and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2002.

While the Bears appear to have decent numbers already on the roster at the guard position, the club ranked No. 30 in the league when it came to running the ball up the middle last season, averaging a mere 3.3 yards per carry and failing to break off a single 20-yard plus run, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Also, two starting members of the Bears 2011 offensive line, right tackle Gabe Carimi and left guard Chris Williams, are both still recovering from season ending injuries.

The Bears' curious offseason 

March, 30, 2012
Mar 30
10:46
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The Chicago Bears came into this offseason needing to fix two major problems: They had no go-to wide receiver, and the perennially disappointing offensive line needed to be overhauled. So far, they have addressed the first problem (though perhaps not in the smartest way), but Chicago continues to desperately need fresh blood on the offensive line.

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Source: Amobi Okoye to visit Bengals

March, 26, 2012
Mar 26
6:09
PM CT
CHICAGO -- Free agent defensive tackle Amobi Okoye is scheduled to visit the Cincinnati Bengals, a league source confirmed on Monday.

Adam Caplan of thesidelineview.com first reported the visit.

Okoye has garnered interest from several teams around the league, but has not ruled out re-signing with the Chicago Bears, per the source.

In his first year with the Bears, Okoye recorded four sacks and 27 quarterback pressures from his three-technique defensive tackle spot. Okoye and starter Henry Melton provided the Bears an inside pass-rushing presence that had been missing in the years since Tommie Harris stopped playing at a Pro Bowl level.

Okoye is still a very young 24 years old after being selected 10th overall by the Houston Texans in the 2007 NFL Draft. After four seasons with the Texans, Okoye got released last summer but was promptly picked up by the Bears on a one-year deal.

Lovie Smith talked to Matt Forte

March, 25, 2012
Mar 25
7:14
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Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith said he has spoken to Matt Forte since the running back's angry reaction to the signing of Michael Bush. While Smith didn't say the situation had been resolved, he seemed confident that it would be.

"We love him, he's going to rush for a lot of yards for us," Smith told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "It's going to work out fine."

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video

Jemele Hill, Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith debate whether Matt Forte has been disrespected by the Bears' signing of Michael Bush.


ESPN Chicago's Jeff Dickerson discusses the impact Michael Bush will have on Matt Forte and what other moves the Bears may make.

Bears' ST ace Graham leaves for Ravens

March, 23, 2012
Mar 23
8:32
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CHICAGO -- Free agent defensive back and special teams ace Corey Graham says he has agreed to terms with the Baltimore Ravens and is leaving the Chicago Bears.

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Photos: Meet Bears' new faces

March, 22, 2012
Mar 22
3:20
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Michael BushKelley L Cox/US Presswire
The Bears added another new face on Thursday when they agreed to a deal with Michael Bush, the latest move in a busy offseason. Catch up on the Bears' additions Photo Gallery

Source: Hanie to visit Broncos

March, 21, 2012
Mar 21
8:28
AM CT
CHICAGO -- Free agent quarterback Caleb Hanie is scheduled to visit the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the situation.

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Jason Campbell
David Banks/US PresswireNew Bears backup quarterback Jason Campbell has 70 career starts in the NFL.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- With three of the vacant starting quarterback jobs this offseason expected to be occupied by Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, new Chicago Bears No. 2 Jason Campbell knew going into free agency he might be forced to accept a backup role.

Also working against Campbell was the fact he suffered a season-ending broken right collarbone last year as a member of the Oakland Raiders, an injury he now says is healed.

"I just kept the door open," Campbell said Friday. "I knew I was coming off a situation where I was injured in Oakland. They had made the trade for Carson Palmer so it kind of put me in a different role. I knew that if it came down to it, I would have to accept a different role maybe as a backup.

"You just go with it. You can't really question anything, or question the things that could happen if you wait and see what opens up. There are no guarantees in life. There are no guarantees in football. You just have to take the best thing presented to you and move forward."

The route Campbell chose was to sign a one-year deal with the Bears, presumably with the idea of hitting the market next year to possibly reclaim a starting job somewhere in the league. Campbell, 30, is a veteran of seven NFL season with 70 career starts under his belt.

"My agent pretty much negotiated everything to try and put me in the best position possible," Campbell said. "We'll worry about that at that standpoint. I just want to take everything one day at a time, one process at a time. [I didn't want to be] wait around, wait around, and end up in that situation where you passed up a good opportunity in a better situation."
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