When the Chicago Bears take on the Minnesota Vikings during Week 18, there will not be much to get excited about. Two teams that are out of the playoffs, and two coaches who may be on the unemployment line in the coming weeks leave little to watch even when factoring in the future of each team.
However, specifically in the Chicago Bears case, there could be more to watch than some realize. The Bears have two Hall of Famers who very well may be retiring at the end of this season. That would mean that both of their final games will be this Sunday with the Chicago Bears.
2. Jason Peters
When Matt Nagy talked about why he started Jason Peters despite Teven Jenkins needing more reps, Nagy talked about the experience of Peters. He talked about how when a Hall of Fame player comes in late in the offseason to help you out that you give him the job you promised him.
That is all well and good, but the reality is that this may be it for Peters. Peters was signed late in the offseason and will be 40 before the start of next year. Only the Chicago Bears’ desperation and Peters’s familiarity with Juan Castillo stopped him from being retired at this very moment.
Still, when he retires it should not take long for him to get into the hall. Peters ranks 13th all-time in starts by an offensive lineman, with eight names ahead of him already being Hall of Famers. beyond that, he ranks 26 in approximate value according to Football Reference. There is 18 Hall Of Famers in the top 26, showing that this stat does a good job at evaluating the offensive line.
Peters is on a shortlist with plenty of other Hall of Famers, so it should be no surprise when fans call him a future Hall of Famer.