The Chicago Bears are signing former Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan to a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Tonyan, who turns 29 years old in April, spent his first five NFL seasons with the Packers. In Chicago, Tonyan will reunite with former Packers assistant coach Luke Getsy, who now coordinates the Bears offense.
Tonyan caught 137 passes on 176 targets for 1,437 yards and 17 touchdowns over 68 games with the Packers.
In 2020, Tonyan caught 88.1 percent of his targets and hauled in 11 touchdown passes during a breakout season. He tore his ACL in Week 8 of 2021 but returned to play all 17 games in 2022, when he set a career-high with 53 catches. However, Tonyan averaged only 8.9 yards per catch and caught two touchdowns last season.
Justin Fields and the Bears will hope Tonyan can return to pre-injury form in 2023.
The Packers, meanwhile, will begin a rebuild at tight end. Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis are back, but Tonyan is departing and Marcedes Lewis is likely to leave in free agency. When healthy over the last three seasons, Tonyan was on the field for 59 percent of the offense’s snaps.
The 2023 draft class is deep at tight end, and Tonyan’s departure in free agency only adds to the chances of the Packers using an early pick at the position.
