CHICAGO _ The Cody Parkey era in Chicago will come to an unsurprising end soon.
The Bears will release their embattled kicker at the start of the league year March 13, a league source confirmed Friday. NFL Network first reported the news.
The move will bring to a close a tumultuous year that started when the Bears signed Parkey to a four-year, $15 million contract and hit a low point when he missed the winning 43-yard field-goal attempt in a first-round playoff loss to the Eagles with a "double doink" off the left upright and crossbar.
After the Bears guaranteed him $9 million last spring, Parkey made just 77 percent of his field-goal attempts, making him the third most inaccurate kicker with more than 10 attempts in the NFL. The Bears still will owe him $3.5 million after releasing him.
He was 23 for 30 on field-goal attempts and 42 for 45 on extra-point attempts over 16 games in the regular season. Trouble started brewing for Parkey when he hit an upright an astounding four times _ twice on missed field goals and twice on missed extra points _ in a Nov. 11 victory over the Lions.
After that outing, the Bears orchestrated trips into the city for him to practice at Soldier Field, and local news helicopters filmed the first session from the air.
Parkey hit an upright again on an extra-point attempt in the regular-season finale against the Vikings in Minneapolis. After making his first three field-goal attempts in the playoff game, he missed the winner in the final seconds on a kick that was later ruled tipped at the line.
He drew criticism five days later when he went on NBC's "Today" show, a move he didn't clear with the Bears ahead of time. Bears coach Matt Nagy made clear he didn't approve of the interview, saying he didn't think it was "a 'we' thing."
"Looking up, I saw it hit the upright and it hit the crossbar, and I'm like, 'Surely it will go in,' " Parkey said during that "Today" interview. "Unfortunately it bounced toward me. I'm disappointed I let the fans, my teammates and the entire organization down, but I'll continue to keep my head held high because football is what I do. It's not who I am."
General manager Ryan Pace said at a news conference in January that kicker would be "an emphasis" for the Bears this offseason. They signed kicker Redford Jones after holding tryouts in January.
"We need more production out of that position," Pace said. "We know we need to get better there, and it will be an area of focus."
Jones was not drafted after going 12 for 16 on field goals and 44 for 45 on extra points as a Tulsa senior in 2017. He didn't kick for an NFL team in 2018 but has been training with former NFL kicker John Carney.
Jones may not be the Bears' final answer as they are sure to consider potential prospects through the draft or free agency.
Former Bears kicker Robbie Gould, who made 33 of 34 field-goal attempts with the 49ers in 2018, is set to be an unrestricted free agent in March and might be open to a reunion. But the 49ers could place the franchise tag on Gould or work out a new contract with him before that.
Pace and Nagy will address the media at the NFL combine in Indianapolis next week.
Parkey now will try to latch on to his fifth team in his sixth year in the NFL. He spent two seasons with the Eagles, making it to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2014, before kicking for the Browns, Dolphins and Bears in consecutive seasons.
