Alshon Jeffery Guarantees Bears Will Win Super Bowl Next Season
Published by Scott Polacek on January 1, 2017
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears finished their abysmal 3-13 season with a 38-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but wide receiver Alshon Jeffery sees a Lombardi Trophy in the team’s near future.
“I guarantee you we are going to win the Super Bowl next year,” he said after the game, per Adam Hoge of WGN Radio.
Jeffery may not even be with the Bears next season, as he is set to become a free agent in March, per Spotrac.
The receiver also said his future is up to his agent and general manager Ryan Pace, per Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.
Jeffery didn’t make a lasting impression on potential suitors with one catch for 10 yards during Sunday’s loss. He finished with 821 receiving yards and two touchdown catches on the season, failing to replicate his impressive efforts in 2013 (1,421 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches) and 2014 (1,133 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches).
Jeffery is just 26 years old, but his failure to live up to expectations is one of the many reasons Chicago hasn’t been a Super Bowl contender in recent years. He missed seven games in 2015 because of injuries and was suspended for four games this season for violating the NFL‘s performance-enhancing-drug policy.
Chicago fans, who have already turned their attention to next season, will likely be pleased to hear confidence from their team’s top receiver, but Conor Orr of NFL.com predicted the Bears will “try to shed their past a little bit this offseason” by not bringing back Jeffery or quarterback Jay Cutler.
Chicago could use some changes, considering it ranked 19th in the league in points allowed per game and 28th in points per game coming into Sunday’s action. Cutler played just five games this season, which left the Bears offense in the hands of Matt Barkley and Brian Hoyer.
Cutler’s injury wasn’t the only one that prevented the Bears from being Super Bowl contenders in 2016.
In November, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune noted the Bears’ 14 players on injured reserve were the most they’ve had since the turn of the century. Key contributors such as cornerback Kyle Fuller, offensive lineman Kyle Long, defensive lineman Will Sutton, running back Jeremy Langford, offensive lineman Josh Sitton, linebacker Pernell McPhee and linebacker Danny Trevathan were among those who missed action.
Jeffery’s guarantee seems outlandish, but things can turn around quickly in the NFL, as playoff teams such as the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys prove this season. Still, the Bears have plenty of work to do to get back into the postseason after their 3-13 effort in 2016, let alone win the Super Bowl.
Remaining healthy and bringing back a game-changing receiver like Jeffery would be ideal places to start, although Chicago could use a productive draft and a few more additions to its roster before hitting the field for the 2017 season.
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