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Chicago Bears sign G Josh Sitton, part ways with PK Robbie Gould

By The Sports Xchange
Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (R) celebrates his touchdown with Green Bay Packers guard Josh Sitton in the first quarter of their game against the Chicago Bears November 26, 2015, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Photo by Frank Polich/UPI
1 of 3 | Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (R) celebrates his touchdown with Green Bay Packers guard Josh Sitton in the first quarter of their game against the Chicago Bears November 26, 2015, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Photo by Frank Polich/UPI | License Photo

The Chicago Bears added a player from a division rival and said farewell to a longtime mainstay Sunday night.

Guard Josh Sitton, cut by the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, landed a three-year contract with Chicago. Multiple media outlets put the deal's price tag at around $21 million, with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting that Sitton received a $10 million guarantee.

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Meanwhile, the Bears released their all-time leading scorer, kicker Robbie Gould. Connor Barth, released by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, is widely reported to be Gould's replacement.

Sitton, 30, made the Pro Bowl for the third time in four seasons last year. He spent eight seasons with Green Bay, which selected him in the fourth round of the 2008 draft.

After appearing in 11 games and making two starts as a rookie, Sitton started every game except two (both in 2011) over the next seven years.

He was entering the final year of his contract this summer, and the Packers chose to cut ties rather than face a $6.85 million salary-cap hit to retain him.

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Sitton figures to take over at left guard for the Bears, who recently gave right guard Kyle Long a four-year contract extension.

Gould exits Chicago with a franchise-best 1,207 points. The 34-year-old veteran has spent his entire 11-year NFL career with the Bears, making 276 of 323 field-goal attempts. His 85.4 percent success rate ranks ninth in league history.

However, last year, he was just 21-for-27 (77.8 percent), and he missed two extra points this summer in preseason action. That was enough to convince the Bears not to pay his $3 million salary.

Barth, 30, previously played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, and he had two stints with Tampa Bay. Last year with the Buccaneers, he made 23 of 28 field-goal attempts (82.1 percent). For his career, he has an 84.8 percent accuracy rate on field goals.

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