Robert Tonyan Criticizes Bears' Coaches After Signing With Vikings

The NFC North saw a few players go from one division rival to another this offseason. That includes former Chicago Bears tight end Robert Tonyan, who left the Windy City in free agency to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.

As Tonyan settles in happily with his new team, he took the time recently to offer some criticism of Chicago's coaches.

As Alec Lewis of The Athletic wrote over the weekend, Tonyan's less than pleased with how his last season as a Bear went. The TE said it was a "tough situation, going from playing 60 snaps a game to 10.”

Highlighting his decline in snaps is an obvious shot at the Bears' coaching staff. Perhaps Tonyan's specific qualms are with former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, whom the tight end followed to Chicago from their days with the Green Bay Packers. Getsy was let go by Chicago this offseason after struggling to run the Bears' offense, so it'd be no surprise if Tonyan and other players are upset with his leadership.

Although, perhaps the blame lies on Tonyan partially as well. After all, he was a regular contributor in 2023, posting a healthy 67 targets, 53 receptions and 470 yards in his first year with the team. Then his role and numbers (17/11/120) fell off of a cliff, which could be caused by what the veteran was showing the coaches behind the scenes, since there's no obvious reason to freeze out a solid supporting target like that out of the blue.

Whatever the reason for Tonyan's drop-off and eventual exit, it's now on him to prove the Bears were wrong to part ways. He'll get at least two chances to do just that in 2024, as Chicago's scheduled to face the Vikings on Nov. 24 (Week 12), then again on Dec. 16 (Week 15).

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