Before the Chicago Bears awakening on offense in 2025 , the first year with head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams working together, the early 2010's team was considered to be the best that a Bears offense had ever looked. Led by quarterback Jay Cutler, this offense featured two dynamic receivers in Brandon Marshall, for whom the Bears traded in 2012, and Alshon Jeffery, the Bears' second-round draft pick that same year.
In the 2013 season, this duo helped the Bears put up nearly 28 points per game and combined for 2,716 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. Unfortunately, the team won only eight games that year and regressed in 2014 to win just five. Marshall was traded to the Jets the following year while Jeffery would remain with the Bears for another two years before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he won Super Bowl LII.
Jeffery hasn't played in the NFL since 2020, but he's apparently going to officially hang up the cleats soon. While speaking to NFL analyst Kay Adams on her Up & Adams podcast, Jeffery announced that he intends to make his retirement official soon, and that he wants to retire as a Chicago Bear. "I started in Chicago, so I have to end it in Chicago," Jeffery told Adams.
Chicago Bears WR Alshon Jeffery is tackled by the Green Bay Packers. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As aforementioned, Jeffery did not stay with the Bears for very long. After playing out his four-year rookie contract, he spent the 2016 season playing on the franchise tag. That offseason, he signed with the Eagles on a one-year, $9.5 million deal, followed by a four-year contract extension with the Eagles worth $52 million, his last contract in the NFL.
But during those five seasons in Chicago, Jeffery was electric. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2013 and put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2013 and 2014. His last two years were plagued by injuries, causing him to miss 11 games, but he still racked up 1,628 yards and six touchdowns in those last two years.
In 2019, to celebrate the franchise's 100th birthday, Jeffery was named to the Top 100 Bears of all-time list , landing at No. 80. That put him at one spot ahead of former teammate Brandon Marshall.
Chicago Bears WR Alshon Jeffery warms up prior to a game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Unfortunately for Jeffery, he may not be remembered by Bears fans quite as fondly as other former members of the team. Ahead of the Bears' Wild Card game against the Eagles in 2019 (yes, that Wild Card game), Jeffery made a comment about Chicago that rubbed its inhabitants the wrong way. "I love the city of Philadelphia," Jeffery said, "Chicago is just where I was for work."
That, plus his trash talk on the turf at Soldier Field, upset a large number of Bears fans, and by looking at the replies to Kay Adams' post of her interview with Jeffery, that anger doesn't seem to have subsided by much.
Hopefully Bears fans can remember the good that Jeffery did for this team when he does make his retirement official. He was a great receiver who suffered through what were some pretty bleak years for the Bears. He later clarified his comments, saying that he never meant to diss the city of Chicago but rather the "work environment" in his time with the Bears compared to his time with the Eagles.
With that in mind, Bears fans must admit that it's hard to disagree with what he said. The Bears were stuck in a deep rut during Jeffery's time with the team, but he almost immediately won a Super Bowl with the Eagles. Winning a championship does wonders for a team's work environment, something that the Bears may soon discover after their blockbuster trade for superstar Jeffery Simmons .
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi as Former Bear and Super Bowl Champ Set to Sign with Team for Official Retirement .
