CHICAGO _ The Bears will release kicker Cody Parkey at the start of the league year March 13, NFL Network reported Friday.
Parkey was 23 for 30 on field-goal attempts and 42 for 45 on extra-point attempts over 16 regular-season games for the Bears. He made 3 of 4 field goals in the team's first-round playoff loss to the Eagles in January but missed the potential game-winner in the final seconds, bouncing it off the left upright and the crossbar for a "double doink."
Parkey joined the Bears on a four-year, $15 million contract last spring. The Bears still will owe him $3.5 million after releasing him.
He went on NBC's "Today" show five days after the playoff miss, 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."
General manager Ryan Pace said at the same news conference in January that the kicker position 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."
Pace and Nagy will address the media at the NFL combine in Indianapolis next week.
