The Bears announced that Chris Spencer, a former first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, has been signed to a two-year contract.
Bears coach Lovie Smith also said goodbye to Olin Kreutz, the club’s center for the last 13 seasons.
The Bears provided Kreutz with its best offer Saturday, one-year for $4 million. But Kreutz declined, and the Bears started to get more aggressive in figuring out a contract with Spencer.
“You know how I feel about Olin,” Smith said. “He’s been a great Chicago Bear but every year is different, a different team. You have to move on, which we’re going to do.”
Smith reiterated that the decision not to bring back Kreutz was a team decision, not one made by the front office.
Player personnel director Tim Ruskell drafted Spencer in Seattle, when Ruskell ran the Seahawks. Spencer, though, had a mixed run there, and the Seahawks didn’t make any effort to bring him back in the last few days.
