March 15--Zach Miller never really wanted to go anywhere else. After enjoying a career year with the Chicago Bears in 2015, recording 34 catches, 439 yards and five touchdowns, Miller understood how much the Bears' loyalty and belief in him had meant to his career revival last season.
Miller also appreciated his opportunity to be showcased as a talented pass-catcher in the Bears' offense and he sensed that coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace had put the franchise on a winning course.
At the end of the day, Miller's foray into free agency was as much about finding his true market value as anything. And on Monday, the 31-year-old tight end re-signed with the Bears, finalizing a two-year deal that will keep him in Chicago.
After a series of injury setbacks kept Miller from playing a single regular season game in 2012, 2013 and 2014, the veteran tight end played in 15 games for the Bears last season and showed continued signs of promise throughout the year.
His 25-yard one-handed TD grab with 3:19 left against the San Diego Chargers in Week 9 sealed a dramatic 22-19 Bears victory on the "Monday Night Football" stage. The following week, Miller took a dump pass from quarterback Jay Cutler and turned it into the longest reception of his career, an 87-yard TD. He added a 2-yard touchdown grab in that game as well, proving to be a reliable target for Cutler and the offense.
Miller's production spiked over the final two months as he totaled 31 grabs, 405 yards and five scores in the eight contests he played in November and December. The Bears are hoping the athletic tight end can continue on that upward arc while remaining healthy for the long haul.
It remains to be seen what the Bears will do with fellow tight end Martellus Bennett, who's headed into the final year of his contract and has been at the center of much trade speculation in recent months. But Miller's return certainly offers the Bears added stability at tight end as they move forward. They also re-signed backup tight end Rob Housler to a one-year deal Monday.
A day after last season ended, Miller spoke enthusiastically about his desire to remain a Bear and downplayed his intrigue in seeking the biggest pay day on the open market.
"I don't know, man. I've been difference places," Miller said. "And there are times where people are like, 'Aw, what's it like over here?' Well, the grass is not always greener on the other side. And I know the grass is green here."
Reminded that the money might be greener with a different team, Miller laughed.
"Yeah, money is green. You're right," he said. "But you can always make money. I know this is an ascending organization, from ownership on down. It's a special franchise, that's owned by great people and it's ran by great people. So I want to be here."
dwiederer@tribpub.com
