Chicago Bears sign backup Todd Collins
The Chicago Bears search for a veteran backup quarterback is over. The team announced the signing of 38 year-old Todd Collins to a one-year contract. Collins had rejected a previous offer from the Bears because it included no guaranteed money and the Bears had not promised Collins that they’d keep him the whole season.
Collins has now gotten what he was after. Being semi-retired, he saw no point in joining the Bears with the possibility of him getting cut just before the regular season with no pay. Now Collins has received guaranteed money worth six figures, which was enough for him to sign on and backup Jay Cutler.
Collins will move up to the second-string, as offensive coordinator Mike Martz wanted a veteran backup who could understand the system he is bringing to the team. Caleb Hanie will now move down to the third-string spot.
"I'm out there to compete," Collins said. "I'm not going to sell myself short. I've been the No. 2 guy for a long time. Ideally, you can step up and contribute just like the starter. So that's always been my goal throughout my career."
Indeed, he has been the No. 2 for a long time. In 15 seasons, Collins has only started in 20 games. His most memorable time as a starter was when he came off the bench for the Washington Redskins in 2007. He was their starter for the whole month of December and took them to the playoffs.
The veteran hopes to start playing as soon as possible. He wants to play in the Bears next preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. That will depend on how well he adapts to Martz’s system, but Collins expects to become familiar with it quickly.
"I still want to play, and believe I still can. I'm still healthy, and the other big thing [about joining the Bears] was the fit with this team, and specifically the offense. I don't think it should take too long. I think the core of the offense is the same. [Martz has] tweaked some stuff since I was in the offense a few years back, but the base of the offense and philosophy is the same. I don't really anticipate it being too long," said Collins.
Collins played a similar system with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1998-2005. He started his career in Buffalo and he spent the last four seasons with the Redskins. He was semi-retired before receiving the call from the Bears to join the team.
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