25 Days Until Chicago Bears 2017 Season Kicks off: Marcus Cooper Profile
The Bear Goggles On Countdown to Kickoff series is now underway. With 25 days to go until the Bears season kicks off we will highlight the Bears player that is wearing number 25, Marcus Cooper.
2016 Season Review
Cooper played last season with the Arizona Cardinals after spending his first three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Cooper was a spot starter for Kansas City and found himself as a key contributor on Arizona’s defense in 2016. Cooper even nabbed four interceptions returning one of them for a score.
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2017 Outlook
Cooper enters this season as one of the starting corners on the Bears. While he may not turn heads, he is certainly an upgrade over what the Bears have had to trot out in the secondary for the last few seasons.
Cooper should start opposite Prince Amukamara and will be pushed by Bryce Callahan, Cre’Von LeBlanc, and possibly Kyle Fuller.
Cooper is also a classy individual who has already embraced what it means to be a Chicago Bear and appreciates the franchise’s rich history. He will be an asset in the locker room as well.
Future with Bears
Cooper figures to be on Chicago past 2017. He signed a three-year contract worth $18 million but in typical Ryan Pace fashion, almost none of it is guaranteed beyond this season.
If Cooper struggles this year, the Bears can release him after the season with very little dead cap, but if he is a solid contributor in the secondary which he is expected to be, the Bears can keep him around at a very reasonable $6 million for 2018 and even 2019. Whether Cooper has a future in Chicago beyond this contract will be determined by his play on the field, the development of other corners on the roster and what the Bears potentially do in the next couple of drafts.