Cody Parkey doesn’t know Robbie Gould but, sometime before he makes his Bears’ debut this fall, he plans to reach out to the veteran for pointers on embracing the elements at Soldier Field.
“He was an incredible kicker here,” Parkey said last week after signing a four-year, $15 million deal with $9 million in guarantees. “It shows you that it’s clearly possible to be a great kicker here. I’m up for the challenge, and I’m up to go out there and do my best.”
RELATED STORIES Mock Draft 4.0: Predicting 32 picks – a Bears surprise – after trades, signings Given the Bears’ free-agent history, maybe we should hold off on the parade
Once the season begins, Parkey will be constantly compared to the Bears’ all-time points leader. The Bears cycled through three veterans after cutting Gould following an uneven 2016 preseason stint.
“I don’t see it as pressure . . .” said Parkey, who made 91.3 percent of his kicks for the Dolphins in 2017. “I’m human, mistakes happen. But I just go out there and I do my best and I put my best foot forward.”
Parkey, who worked with new Bears special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor on the Browns two years ago, represents a new path forward. He’s five years younger than Connor Barth, Gould’s initial replacement, and 10 years younger than Mike Nugent, who finished last season.
“He’s made the Pro Bowl [in 2014], he’s still a young player,” general manager Ryan Pace said. “[It’s] a position we wanted to address, and we feel like we’ve done that with Cody.”
Follow me on Twitter
@patrickfinley.
Email: pfinley@suntimes.com
