Seven-and-a-half months before their first game of the season, the Bears appear to be preparing for life without Cody Parkey.
The Bears will work out veteran Nick Folk, a source confirmed. ESPN reported he would be among five or six kickers there.
Parkey’s likely exit is hardly a surprise. Earlier this month, coach Matt Nagy said he didn’t appreciate the kicker heading to the “Today” show five days after missing a potential winning 43-yard kick against the Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs. General manager Ryan Pace vowed to upgrade the position, despite the Bears taking on a $5.2 million cap hit if they released Parkey without a June 1 designation.
“That position is an emphasis for us,” Pace said. “We understand we need to get better, get more production out of that position. Matt talks about it all the time: There’s so much parity in our league, so many close games, the kicker position is critical.”
Folk played for the Cowboys, Jets and Buccaneers from 2007-16, but kicked in only four games for the Buccaneers in 2017 and not at all last season.
Friday’s workouts were for kickers not currently under contract.
Robbie Gould is under contract until March, when he’ll become a free agent. The former Bears kicker might be the most attractive free agent on the market after making 33 of 34 field goals last season. The 49ers hope to re-sign him, though. General manager John Lynch said at the Senior Bowl that the two sides were talking.
