Raiders general manager Mike Mayock called Eddy Pineiro at his apartment May 6, hours after a practice in which he didn’t miss a single kick.
Pineiro was on a plane to Chicago less than two hours later, traded for a conditional 2020 pick that will transfer once he takes the field in Sunday’s game.
“I was definitely blindsided, because I felt like I was doing really good and I was competing and doing well,” Pineiro said Tuesday. “But everything happens for a reason.”
The Bears kicker — who has made 8-of-9 field goals this year — won the Raiders job last preseason, only to hurt his groin. He was frustrated when the team put him on injured reserve rather than let him try to return a few weeks later.
He remains motivated by the trade — “The Raiders gave me up for pennies,” he said during training camp — but said he’s looking forward to seeing his former teammates Sunday.
Pineiro feels better than he did the last two games, when he kicked with a pinched nerve in his right knee. The Bears have a bye after the Raiders game which, he said, “will be a big week for me to get completely healthy.”
“I think my knee is getting a lot better,” he said.
Pineiro has had to lock his right leg out during his follow-through to ease the pain, and that has affected his swing. Then there was the fear of a Raiders repeat.
“Obviously you think about it and you go, ‘Man, I got injured in Oakland and ended the year there. And now this happens,’” he said. “For me it was just a mental thing.”
Playing the Raiders on Sunday, though, will be just as important as where they’re playing: Tottenham Stadium.
“My dream was always to be a professional soccer player growing up as a kid,” he said. “So it’s going to be a special moment.”
