Ray McDonald to Bears: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction
Published by Joseph Zucker on March 24, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Ray McDonald found a new home on Tuesday.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Bears took a flier on the 30-year-old defensive lineman, signing him to a deal:
Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports confirmed the report:
Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the contract is a one-year deal.
McDonald played the first eight years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers. He proved to be a fixture on the defensive line, starting 59 games over the last four years and compiling 19.5 sacks and 210 total tackles during his time with the organization.
His 49ers career ended in ignominy, however.
In December, San Francisco released McDonald after allegations came to light that he sexually assaulted a woman. It was the second time he ran into legal trouble within the span of a few months.
He had been arrested in August for felony domestic abuse. The Santa Clara District Attorney’s office eventually declined to press charges in November for a lack of evidence.
USA Today‘s Christine Brennan wrote in December that the shifting attitudes toward the issue of domestic abuse made his departure from San Francisco all but a foregone conclusion:
Had the NFL‘s new personal conduct policy, announced just last week, been in place over the summer, McDonald conceivably wouldn’t have played all fall.
But the policy wasn’t there, so the 49ers controversially allowed McDonald to play on — until Wednesday, when 49ers general manager Trent Baalke cited “a pattern of poor decision making,” leaving the team “with no other choice” than to cut McDonald once and for all.
Ironically, it wasn’t the much-discussed personal conduct policy that led to McDonald’s departure. It was the NFL’s new culture of awareness about domestic violence, which is just about as close to zero tolerance as any league or sports entity, nationally or internationally, has ever come.
Because of McDonald’s off-field red flags, many wondered how much interest he would draw in the offseason, especially with the NFL’s push to get tougher on cases related to domestic abuse.
In terms of pure talent, plenty of teams would love to have McDonald on the roster. Even though he’s in his 30s, his numbers have remained steady over the last four years after taking over a starting role in the 49ers defense.
He’s probably at least another two or three years away from declining noticeably.
When you throw in his baggage, signing McDonald is a massive risk for the Bears. The microscope will not only be on McDonald but also the Bears to ensure he doesn’t find himself in similar situations going forward.
While McDonald fills a glaring void on Chicago’s defensive line, it remains to be seen whether the gamble will prove worthwhile.
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