Bears Pop Free Agency Cherry by Signing Punter Podlesh

The Bears have signed a free agent!  That’s the good news.  The not so good news is that it is a punter.  No disrespect to newest Bear Adam Podlesh, but while Bears fans have been itching for the Bears to make a splash, this move barely registers as a ripple.  That’s especially true since Podlesh is replacing fan favorite Brad Maynard.  Here’s a bit on Podlesh, the former Jaguars punter:

"Podlesh, who will turn 28 next month, averaged 43.8 yards per punt with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. He had 26 of his punts (45.6 percent) land inside the 20-yard line and was a Pro Bowl alternate. In four seasons with the Jaguars, the Maryland product averaged 42.6 yards.“The beautiful thing is when free agency opened up, the phones started ringing,” Podlesh’s agent Rich Rosa said. “After a day-and-a-half, two days worth of discussion with the special teams coach (Dave Toub) and the assistant special teams coach Kevin O’Dea, who will work directly with Adam, he fell in love with what they were talking about."

One other thing about Podlesh – he’s a cancer survivor.

Terms of the deal are reported to be in the neighborhood of $10 million over 5 years.  Not bad for kicking the ball a few times each game.

Here’s to hoping that he figures out how to punt in Soldier Field.  Methinks it’s slightly more difficult than kicking in sunny Jacksonville.

Welcome aboard Adam!