A cruel fact about life that also applies to sports is that when a relationship ends, an ex can end up in a better place, much better than what you could offer.
The same goes for the 30 NFL teams who didn’t make it to this year’s Super Bowl. With the amount of roster turnover in the league each year, there’s a good chance an ex-player from your favorite team is now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs or San Francisco 49ers — the teams competing in this year’s Super Bowl.
Several ex-Chicago Bears players and coaches will be in the Big Game on Feb. 11, one of them you’re probably already quite familiar with.
Kansas City Chiefs
Safety Deon Bush: Drafted by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Bush has been a journeyman player throughout his eight-year career. He left the Bears and signed with the Chiefs in 2022. Kansas City released him at the start of last season and signed him to the practice squad before finally elevating him to the active roster at the end of October. He only played in six regular season games but made the biggest play of his professional career in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. Bush intercepted Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson, ultimately sealing the win for his Chiefs and a trip to the Super Bowl.
Wide Receiver Anthony Miller: Remember him? In a much-ballyhooed move at the time, the Bears drafted Miller in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Miller was a talented rookie who oozed potential thanks to his speed and exceptional route-running ability. Yet, after a promising rookie season, things ultimately did not pan out for him in Chicago. The Bears traded Miller to the Houston Texans in July 2021. He has not been able to re-establish himself just yet. This month, the Chiefs signed him to a “futures deal,” assuring him a spot on the team’s offseason roster. Technically, he doesn’t count as an official Chiefs member this past season, but we felt he was worth mentioning.
Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy: Most Bears fans know this one. Chicago hired Nagy to be their head coach in 2018. Before joining Chicago, Nagy was the Chiefs offensive coordinator. He was heralded as an offensive guru who could help second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky ascend to new heights. But it was all for naught. It never quite clicked in Chicago for Nagy, who finished with a 34-31 record. Trubisky became a middling quarterback, and Nagy returned home to Kansas City. Back in his old role, he is now poised to earn his second Super Bowl ring.
Defensive Tackle Mike Pennel: Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2014, Pennel would have a cup of coffee with Chicago. He played 17 games for the Bears as a defensive tackle in 2022 and started two games. Diehard Bears fans might remember Pennel’s impact in a December 2022 game against the Philadelphia Eagles: a forced fumble, two pass breakups and two tackles on limited snaps. Pennel returned to Kansas City in 2022 after spending the earlier part of his career there.
Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub: One of the stellar special teams coordinators in the league coached for the Bears from 2004-12 before joining the Chiefs. Under Toub’s watch, the Bears’ special teams unit was unrivaled, especially when it fielded guys like Devin Hester, Robbie Gould and Brendon Ayanbadejo. In 2006, the group helped propel the team to a Super Bowl berth. He joined the Chiefs in the same role in 2013.
San Francisco 49ers
Safety Tashaun Gipson, Sr.: This productive, well-traveled safety was already established when he played for the Bears in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Chicago paired him with rising safety Eddie Jackson, but in 2022, Gipson signed with San Francisco. The 33-year-old has continued his stellar play in the past two seasons. In Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, Gipson stripped the ball from Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the third quarter, forcing a fumble. It was the game’s turning point as that fumble put his team in position to tie the game four plays later.
Quarterback Coach Brian Griese: The son of the legendary Bob Griese signed a five-year contract to play with the Bears but lasted only two seasons. From 2006 to 2007, Griese mustered an unremarkable 11 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions over 13 starts. In 2007, Coach Lovie Smith would turn to Griese whenever starting quarterback Rex Grossman faltered. But the marriage ended when the Bears traded Griese to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following year. Since then, he has enjoyed a robust post-playing career as an ESPN analyst, notably for Monday Night Football, and now as the Niners QB coach.
Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks: He worked under Lovie Smith as the Bears defensive backs coach from 2006-08. Wilks’s tenure with the team evokes fond memories for Bears fans, especially during that 2006 season when they went 13-3 and reached the Super Bowl. He oversaw a ferocious unit that featured beloved cornerback Peanut Tillman. Wilks would soon embark on a long and itinerant career in coaching, working for the then San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals, where he was the head coach for a season. He was an interim head coach for the Panthers, leading the team to a respectable 6-6 record before joining San Francisco. Nevertheless, Wilks has developed a reputation as one of the NFL’s foremost defensive minds.
About Post Author
