On the eve of free agency, Alshon Jeffery told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he’d like to win a title with the Bears — but understands if it wouldn’t work out.
“I’d love to win the championship in the city of Chicago, but it’s all a business, so we’ll see how it turns out,” he said on the Know Him From Adam podcast. “We’ll see.”
The Bears didn’t tenure Jeffery a franchise tag after paying him $14.599 million under the tag last season. He is free to talk to other teams when the legal tampering period starts at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Speaking from a Chicago gym, Jeffery said he’ll try to find the best fit for he and his family — and that includes finding a connection with a quarterback.
“I wouldn’t say it’s all about they money,” he said. “It’s just about the best fit for me — the right coaches, the best team I think that’s going to win a championship, or whoever’s got a quarterback that’s going to be there for a while. …
“Whoever’s the quarterback there, you want a good relationship with that guy.
That would seem to hurt the Bears’ case. They’re likely to sign a bridge quarterback this week and then draft one next month.
“The city of Chicago’s been great to me in my five years, but it’s a business …” he said when asked if leaving the city would be difficult. “I’ll miss it but at the same time I think it’s all a process of the next chapter in life.”
He called quarterback Jay Cutler “demanding and accountable,” and said he was a “pretty cool guy to me.” He praised him as someone who has expectations for teammates but is also “a fun guy to be around.”
