Chicago Bears: 4 Players who may be on their way out

Cody Parkey, Kicker

Okay, so Cody Parkey has had trouble for almost two weeks now. Between his missed kick and his Today Show appearance, he hasn’t endeared himself to the team or the fans. Pace said at the end of the season press conference that the Bears need to “get better” at the kicker position. Additionally, head coach Matt Nagy called Parkey’s television gig as not being a “we” thing.

Those words by the general manager and the head coach seem to indicate that Parkey is a goner this offseason. When cloud settles and all the emotions are calm, do the Bears still feel the same?

Getting rid of Parkey will cost the Bears. According to Over The Cap, they’ll take a $1.1 million cap hit and about $5.2 million in dead money. For a team that needs money to take the next step, that is a pretty big financial hit to take.

Yes, the Bears signed Parkey to a four-year, $15 million contract. People keep harping on that. We all know how contracts work in the NFL, however. Most players never see the full amount of their contracts. There is an out after next season which makes the actual cost two years at $9 million. If the Bears still aren’t satisfied, they let him go and save themselves about $2.1 million in cap space. They could also restructure his contract and save close to $1.8 million.

I get it that Parkey struggled this season. His 77 percent field goal rate ranked 30th among qualifiers. He missed 11 kicks (field goals and extra points combined), including the most important one. However, of those misses, six of them hit the upright. If those kicks don’t do that, he has a success rate of 87 percent, ahead of the great Adam Vinatieri and just below Matt Prater. Also, his extra point percentage would be 98 percent.

This is something that is rare. I’ve never heard of a kicker hitting the uprights so many times in a season. If he tried to do that he probably doesn’t do that. I think the team made a mistake having him go to Soldier Field and practice the kicks over and over again. It got into his head and he put too much pressure on himself. Go back and look at the film and see what correction needs to be made.

There is one caveat to all of this, however. Robbie Gould, a fan favorite and one of the best kickers in Chicago Bears history (and owns the record for most points as a Bear), is a free agent. He expressed a desire to someday retire as a Bear. Speaking on the Prostyle Podcast with former Bears Earl Bennett, he spoke glowingly about being a Bear.

"I love Chicago. I live here. I still live here. Whether you go to the grocery store or whether you go to the restaurant, that’s the question everyone is asking me. I get it, right? I understand it, but Cody is their kicker right now… For me, Chicago will always be home. I love the Bear fans. I love this city. I’ll always be a Bear, no matter what team I’m on or where I’m going or whatever happens. One day I’ll probably retire a Bear."

I know Bears fans now want Gould back. Remember, though, he had his own troubles. He missed some kicks that would have won some games late in his career in Chicago. He credits getting cut by Chicago as the kick he needed to get back. Since then, he’s hit 82 of his 85 field goal attempts (96 percent).

The Bears could have a great story whatever way they go. If they keep Parkey  and he comes back and has a great season it’s a wonderful comeback story. If they go with Gould and he does well, it’s the return of a hero.

WIth these four cases, the Chicago Bears end up with about $35.4 million in cap space. With other possible cuts, they should have enough money to hit free agency and make the roster even stronger than the one they had in 2018.