Updated: The Bear’s Den, January 6, 2020

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

Here’s what Kyle Long’s up to today:

How does Kyle Long’s retirement affect the Bears salary cap? I asked Brad from Over The Cap:

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS

Kyle Long Says He’s “Stepping Away” from Football - Bleacher Nation - It was clear from the jump this year that Kyle Long, 31, was not his usual bruising, punishing self. The interior of the Bears’ line struggled mightily at the

Bears’ Kyle Long Expresses Appreciation To Chicago - 670 The Score - Long tweeted Sunday he’s “stepping away and getting (his) body right.”

Kevin Fishbain weighs in on if Mitch Trubisky is the week 1 starter next year - WGN Radio - Kevin Fishbain from The Athletic talks to Mark Carman and Kevin Powell about the Bears season ending press conference with Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky.

Bears hire Juan Castillo as offensive line coach - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears on Sunday announced the hiring of Juan Castillo as their offensive line coach. Castillo has spent 24 seasons coaching in the NFL with the Eagles (1995-2012), Ravens (2013-16) and Bills (2017-18).

Jackson grateful to Bears for believing in him - ChicagoBears.com - After signing a lucrative four-year contract extension Saturday, safety Eddie Jackson thanked the Bears for taking a chance on him after a gruesome injury prematurely ended his college career.

Chicago Bears sign Eddie Jackson to 4-year contract extension - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears locked up a key member of their defense for the foreseeable future Saturday when they signed safety Eddie Jackson to a four-year contract extension through 2024.

Chicago Bears passed on 9 of the 12 NFL playoff quarterbacks - Chicago Tribune - The Bears passed on drafting nine of the quarterbacks in this year's NFL playoffs, including Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.

Chicago Bears sign safety Eddie Jackson to 4-year extension - Chicago Tribune - After signing his four-year extension, Bears safety Eddie Jackson reflected on his rise from an uncertain draft weekend to bona fide NFL star: "I’m forever thankful."

David Haugh: Chicago Bears rarely say what they mean - Chicago Tribune - Beneath the veneer of his rehearsed rhetoric, Bears general manager Ryan Pace likely understands it would be negligent to not bring in a quarterback to challenge Mitch Trubisky for the starting job in 2020.

Kyle Long announces he's stepping away from football - NBC Sports Chicago - It appears Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long is hanging up his cleats.

Twitter reacts to Kyle Long stepping away from NFL - NBC Sports Chicago - Kyle Long appeared to announce his retirement from the NFL on Twitter Sunday night, which sparked immediate reactions from fans thanking him for his years as a Bear.

The Tom Brady speculation is fun, but the truth is a lot less exciting for Bears fans - NBC Sports Chicago - It'd be fun, but a Brady-Bears connection doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Ryan Pace must find Bears their Ryan Tannehill this offseason - NBC Sports Chicago - The most important job Ryan Pace will be tasked with this offseason is to find the Chicago Bears their version of Ryan Tannehill.

Bears officially hire Juan Castillo as new offensive line coach - NBC Sports Chicago - Sunday, the Bears officially announced the hiring of Juan Castillo as offensive line coach.

Here's What David Montgomery Proved as Rookie - SI.com - When Bears coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace went over the problems facing their team heading into the offseason, they prominently mentioned activating the running game.

Tarik Cohen Needs Quick Reset to 2018 Form - SI.com - If any one healthy player typified the consistency troubles suffered by the Bears on offense this season, it's running back Tarik Cohen.

Kyle Long “stepping away” from football – ProFootballTalk - The Bears have gotten used to playing without Kyle Long for long stretches over the last four years, but that’s not going to be an issue for them in 2020. Long announced on Twitter on Sunday that he’s not going to be playing at all.

Bears guard Kyle Long Tweets that he’s ‘stepping away’ from football - Chicago Sun-Times - The three-time Pro Bowl player, who presumably played his last snap with the team in London before being put on injured reserve, posted a series of Tweets on Sunday night that said farewell to the city.

Morrissey: The Bears are a bit of a mess, but they’re an interesting mess - Chicago Sun-Times - A pumpkin dropped from an eighth-story window is entertaining. So are the Bears.

Eddie Jackson’s ‘unfinished business’ — winning Super Bowl and retiring a Bear - Chicago Sun-Times - The Bears safety agreed to a four-year deal Friday worth $58.4 million, with $33 million guaranteed. The annual salary of $14.6 million set a record for safeties.

Is Chicago Bears QB Mitch Trubisky fixable? Is fixing him worth it? - Chicago Sun-Times - Along with his boss, Bears coach Matt Nagy delivered a defense of his quarterback Tuesday, laying out three ways he must improve this offseason:

Biggest offseason improvement Chicago Bears can make starts with Matt Nagy evolving - Chicago Sun-Times - Nagy must be willing to change, and that’s always a challenge for head coaches.

Chicago Bears offseason: Evaluating the Bears’ biggest needs - Chicago Sun-Times - The Sun-Times’ Mark Potash answers the Bears’ most pressing questions in the first week of their 2020 offseason.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Mike Vrabel: Derrick Henry’s prepared for this workload – ProFootballTalk - The Titans offense has run through Derrick Henry all season and he played an especially prominent role in Saturday's win over the Patriots. Henry was responsible for 204 of the team's 272 yards while running 34 times and catching one pass.

End of an era: Jason Garrett fired as Cowboys coach - NFL.com - After a decade together, Jason Garrett and the Cowboys are parting ways as the longtime coach was fired on Sunday.

Belichick 'not prepared' to discuss Tom Brady's future - NFL.com - Roughly 12 hours removed from a season-ending loss, Bill Belichick didn't want and was not prepared to talk about quarterback Tom Brady's future with the Patriots.

Cowboys announce Jason Garrett’s departure – ProFootballTalk - The Cowboys made it official Sunday night, announcing shortly after word leaked, that Jason Garrett will not return as their head coach. Garrett’s contract expires Jan. 14.

Al Riveron on last play in New Orleans: “None of the contact rises to the level of a foul” – ProFootballTalk - The last play of Sunday’s Vikings-Saints game resulted in a touchdown, along with a real question as to whether Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph pushed off before making the catch. After overtime ended, NFL senior V.P. of officiating Al Riveron answered questions from Larry Holder of TheAthletic.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

POLL: Who is your favorite candidate for Detroit Lions defensive coordinator? - Pride Of Detroit - Vote on your favorite candidate to replace Paul Pasqualoni.

NFL 2019 All-Pro teams: Detroit Lions shut out, but 2 receive votes - Pride Of Detroit - The 2019 All-Pro teams were without a Detroit Lion for the second straight year.

Minnesota Vikings 26, New Orleans Saints 20 (OT): No Miracles Needed - Daily Norseman - The Vikings are moving on to San Francisco!

The Packers clinched a first-round bye, but is it really that big of an advantage? - Acme Packing Company - Green Bay has been successful after a bye week overall in Aaron Rodgers’ time as a starter, but has not fared as well in recent years.

IN CASE YOU YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Householder: Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long tweets he’s ‘stepping away’ from football - Windy City Gridiron - The veteran guard didn’t use the word retire but it sure sounds like he’s retiring

Wiltfong: NFL Wildcard Weekend Open Thread - Windy City Gridiron - Are you ready to talk about some wildcard football?

Zimmerman: Breaking down Ryan Pace-Matt Nagy Press Conference - Windy City Gridiron - In the latest Bears Banter Podcast, Bill Zimmerman looks for the meaning in Ryan Pace’s words at his year-end press conference.

Wiltfong: Bears’ fan confidence rises as team prepares for 2020 - Windy City Gridiron - Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse — a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the offseason, we send 32 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Bears fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

Windy City Gridiron Podcast Channel which includes Bear With Me from Robert Schmitz, Bears Over Beers featuring Jeff Berckes & EJ Snyder, and T Formation Conversation from Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.; Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert; and Robert Zeglinski’s The Blitz Network

THE RULES

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments. No personal attacks, politics, gender based insults of any kind, racial insults, etc.

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

Windy City Gridiron Podcast Channel which includes Bear With Me from Robert Schmitz, Bears Over Beers featuring Jeff Berckes & EJ Snyder, Bears Banter hosted by Bill Zimmerman, and T Formation Conversation from Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.; Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert; and Robert Zeglinski’s The Blitz Network

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