The 2025 NFL Draft is just a few weeks away. The Chicago Bears have had their fair share of misses over the years in selecting long-standing talent at Soldier Field.
A number of picks did not pan out which prompted the team to move on from these names. In some cases, they may have done so too early.
Here, we take a look at four of the former Bears players that Chicago was too quick to give up on.
1. Rex Grossman, QB
In three seasons with the University of Florida Gators, the quarterback threw for more than 9,000 yards and 77 touchdowns. Grossman chose the NFL Draft instead of his senior year at Florida.
The Bloomington, Indiana native was a lucrative pick at the time for the Chicago Bears. He was available with the 22nd overall pick in 2003.
Then-head coach Dick Jauron kept Grossman down in the depth chart behind Chris Chandler and Kordell Stewart. A season later, Lovie Smith took over as the new coach and announced Grossman as the new starter.
Injuries offset Grossman's development early in his career. He sustained a torn ACL in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings during the 2004 season. Less than a year after, Grossman broke his ankle before the season opener in 2005.
Season | Games | Pass Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | 3 | 437 | 2 | 1 | 74.8 |
2004 | 3 | 607 | 1 | 3 | 67.9 |
2005 | 2 | 259 | 1 | 2 | 59.7 |
2006 | 16 | 3,193 | 23 | 20 | 73.9 |
2007 | 8 | 1,411 | 4 | 7 | 66.4 |
2008 | 4 | 257 | 2 | 2 | 59.7 |
He turned his fortune around by playing in all 16 games for the Bears in 2006. This was the first time a quarterback had done so for the franchise since Erik Kramer in 1995.
Chicago would go on to play in the Super Bowl XLI but lose to the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17. Injuries caused Grossman to sit in 2007 and he was replaced by Kyle Orton.
His final season with the Bears came in 2008 via a one-year 'prove it' deal. Grossman would depart Chicago and continue his playing career with the Houston Texans and the Washington Redskins.