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From the mouth of the franchise itself:
LM: #Bears have signed DB Kelvin Hayden to a one-year contract.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) February 28, 2014
Kelvin Hayden came to the Bears in 2012 after a long stint in Indianapolis and a short stint in Atlanta. Hayden played in 16 games in 2012, but tore his hamstring at the annual Soldier Field training camp practice. In 2012 Hayden logged one INT for 39 yards, and 5 pass defenses. He also recovered four fumbles for 15 yards, and had 24 tackles.
Hayden's re-signing adds some known depth to a position that still has a lot of question marks for the Bears this offseason. He allows the team to have an experienced person who can play outside in a needed situation, and also plays well at the nickel position.
Coming back from the torn hamstring will be tough, though. It's an injury that was originally given a 6-8 month recovery window, and we're just getting to the 6 month part now. Locking Hayden up now ensures the known commodity is here, but will likely have a small bonus and several incentives. This is the kind of move that allows the Bears to still look for additional starters/depth in the draft or free agency, while making sure there's someone at least semi-competent already on the roster.
Check back for updates as we find out the deals behind this new one-year contract, and let us know what you think below.
Update: After teasing us with the idea they were close earlier this morning, Michael Wright of ESPN comes up with some detail:
Forgive me, Hayden's salary is $840K, not $815K. Wrong CBA.
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) February 28, 2014
I feel like that should be $855,000, though, because per Article 26, Section 1 of the CBA, a veteran with 7-9 credited seasons should be at $855k. We'll update when we know more.