Report: Bears exploring trade possibilities for WR Brandon Marshall
The Chicago Bears are exploring the possibility of trading wide receiver Brandon Marshall, according to a report from Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Marshall just completed his third season with the Bears after stints with the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. The 30-year-old missed the final three games of 2014 after suffering a lung injury and two broken ribs in the Bears' Dec. 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Over 13 games, Marshall caught 61 passes for 721 yards and eight touchdowns.
From the report:
One NFL source said the Bears are shopping Marshall with the idea of moving him. Another source said his belief is the team is taking calls in regard to Marshall. Trades cannot be finalized until 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Marshall's $7.5 million salary for the 2015 season becomes fully guaranteed if he remains with the team through March 12. A separate report from Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports said the Bears are requesting a mid-round draft pick in exchange for Marshall.
SI.com's Don Banks wrote in February that it appears Marshall has "worn out his welcome" in Chicago. "While it’s not known yet whether the Bears will follow suit and decide less is more when it comes to Marshall and his spotlight-seeking ways, there are rumblings that the new management tandem of head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace may see the gifted receiver as more a part of the problem in Chicago than the solution," Banks wrote.
Marshall said less than a week later that he wants to "retire a Bear," but acknowledged that "it's a business on both ends." At the NFL Scouting Combine last month, Fox and Pace declined to say that Marshall would be in the Bears' plans this season, according to Biggs.
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