Chicago Bears place wide receiver Alshon Jeffery on injured reserve
Wednesday 30 December 2015 18:02, UK
The Chicago Bears have placed wide receiver Alshon Jeffery on season-ending injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Jeffery, who has been limited to nine games this season, has been sidelined since injuring his hamstring against the Minnesota Vikings on December 20. He has also dealt with injuries to his groin, calf and shoulder in 2015.
Despite missing seven games, Jeffery still managed to display his elite playmaking skills this season as he hauled in 54 catches for 807 yards and four touchdowns.
The 25-year-old Jeffery, who the Bears selected in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft, is now out of contract and will be one of the prized free agents on the market this off-season.
The Bears rank second behind only the Oakland Raiders in terms of cap space available heading into 2016, with upwards of $50m available.
If the team elects to pursue a long-term deal with Jeffery, his agent is likely to ask for money in the neighbourhood of the five-year, $70m contracts Dez Bryant and Julio Jones signed last summer.
Given his recent injury history, the Bears may decide to place the franchise tag on Jeffery and ask him to prove he can stay healthy before committing to him for the long term. The franchise tag for wide receivers was worth $12.8m in 2015 and is expected to rise slightly next season.
If Jeffery does hit the market, he will be far and away the top wide receiver available with the next-best options available players such as Anquan Boldin, Marvin Jones, Travis Benjamin and Rishard Matthews.
Chicago also placed defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, who was selected by the Bears in the second round of this year's draft out of Florida State, on injured reserve.
Goldman played in the first 15 games with 12 starts this season, recording 39 tackles, 4.5 sacks and six tackles-for-loss. He ranks fourth among NFL rookies in sacks.
"I think he's had a good rookie season, I really do," Bears coach John Fox said Monday. "I know I'm excited about working with him moving forward, and I think he's excited about working with us."
Jeffery and Goldman's spots on the Bears 53-man active roster were taken by defensive linemen Greg Scruggs and Terry Williams.
