Bears would "like to have Tait back for another season"

This will not come as a surprise.

The Bears announced on their Web site that they would like to have John Tait back for another season.

Tait informed the team he is was likely to retire and multiple sources have told the Sun-Times it’s a done deal but nothing will be official until he files retirement papers.

Of course the Bears would like Tait to return. The only tackles they have under contract–besides Tait–are Chris Williams, the first-round pick from Vanderbilt, and Cody Balogh, an undrafted free agent from Montana. Combined, Williams and Balogh have 0 NFL starts. It might be tough to run veteran minicamp in 27 days without any tackles.

Our colleague Mike Mulligan dives into the issue of drafting an offensive tackle here in advance of the combine, which will begin Thursday in Indianapolis. The Bears are in a position where they need to get two tackles and that is going to be a top priority until the mission is accomplished. The belief at Halas Hall is that Williams will be an elite performer for years to come from a draft that was stocked with tackles and sent two rookies–Miami’s Jake Long and Denver’s Ryan Clady–to the Pro Bowl. But he’s yet to prove anything other than he has been a dedicated worker in the weight room.

A change of mind by Tait, 34, would put the Bears in a much more comfortable position. That’s not expected to happen.