The Chicago Bears’ offense will look a little different this year under new head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson was the architect of the Detroit Lions' offense that led the NFL in scoring a year ago. But he also placed an emphasis on the tight end position that made Sam LaPorta and T.J. Hockenson into stars.
Johnson has already done his best to revamp the tight end room, adding first-round pick Colston Loveland to a room that already included Cole Kmet. But the tight end he didn’t want is still looking for a new chapter in his career after failing in Chicago last season.
Former Bears TE Gerald Everett Is Still Looking for a Job After OTAs
There were many ill-fated decisions in Shane Waldron’s 10 months as offensive coordinator, but one of them was the decision to bring in tight end Gerald Everett. Waldron had worked with Everett in his previous stops with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks and convinced the front office to bring him in on a two-year, $12 million contract.
The investment didn’t pay off. Everett played in all 17 games for Chicago but managed just eight catches for 36 scoreless yards. He also wasn’t used much despite being active throughout the season, playing in just 22% of Chicago’s offensive snaps according to Pro Football Reference. With Johnson preferring to use one tight end (and the occasional sixth offensive lineman) in his offense, he decided to release Everett and save $5.5 million in cap space.
Everett called his time in Chicago “a learning experience,” but it hasn’t translated to a new job as he remains on the free agent market. This is kind of surprising considering his total resume, which includes 292 catches for 2,869 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns over his eight-year career. His experience could also help a team with some younger tight ends and potentially a young rookie quarterback.
Chicago, it was brief and a learning experience but i appreciate the love the city and the team showed me!
— Mr. Everett (@lightningstrk12) February 21, 2025
Looking forward to the next chapter.
On to the next!
But Everett is also 31 years old and could be on the back end of his career. With training camp rosters already filled, it’s possible that no team is interested in adding a player of Everett’s caliber unless they run into an injury.
It paints a grim picture for his chances of finding another job and could have him playing the waiting game as the rest of the league heads toward training camp.