| Advertisement |
April 30 (UPI) -- The Chicago Bears reached agreements with veteran wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and former Houston Texans safety Tashaun Gipson on Thursday. League sources told ESPN and the Houston Chronicle that Gipson agreed to a one-year contract with the Bears. According to ESPN and NFL Media, Ginn also reached an agreement with Chicago on a one-year deal. Financial details of the pacts weren't disclosed.
Advertisement
Ginn, 35, spent the last three seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He became expendable after the franchise signed ex-San Francisco 49ers wideout Emmanuel Sanders in free agency.
Ginn ranks 25th in league history with 15,685 all-purpose yards since entering the NFL as a first-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2007. He has recorded 5,702 receiving yards, almost 10,000 kickoff and punt return yards and 42 total touchdowns in 187 career games with the Dolphins, 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Saints.
The Bears had a need at receiver after releasing veteran pass-catcher Taylor Gabriel this off-season. He ranked fourth on the team in receptions last season, but he missed a significant portion of the 2019-20 campaign due to multiple concussions.
Gipson, 29, is expected to start alongside Pro Bowl safety Eddie Jackson in the Bears' secondary. Chicago allowed veteran safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to enter free agency this off-season.
Gipson, a Pro Bowl selection in 2014, played one season with the Texans after the Jacksonville Jaguars released him. He made 14 starts for Houston in 2019, tallying 51 total tackles, three interceptions and eight passes defensed.
The Cleveland Browns signed Gipson to a three-year deal after he went undrafted in 2012. In 112 career games with the Browns, Jaguars and Texans, he has notched 450 total tackles, 23 picks, 46 passes defensed and three defensive touchdowns.
