Chicago Bears fans are going to remember the name Albert Wilson for a while. He’s basically the man who ruined their chances of winning that game in Miami. Wilson went off for 155 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard backbreaking score right after the Bears took a 28-21 lead with three minutes left in the game. It was a coming out performance for the veteran receiver.
It certainly wasn’t a surprise to head coach Matt Nagy. He’d helped turn Wilson into a quality starter as offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. So when he left for Chicago and Wilson became a free agent in the same year, he urged GM Ryan Pace to make a hard push to sign him. Unfortunately, Wilson chose to join the Dolphins instead.
As it turns out, the Bears were much closer to nabbing him than some think. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune elaborated.
“I asked Wilson about the factors he weighed back at the outset of free agency in March when the Bears and Dolphins put a full-court press on him.
It was really close, man, really, really close,” Wilson said as he pulled two gold chains with the area code 772, for the Treasure Coast of Florida where he was raised in Port St. Lucie, over his head. “The Bears offered me a four-year (contract). I wanted three years.”
A guy choosing his home state and a more advantageous contract is easy to understand. His decision also came with a silver lining.
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Albert Wilson going to Miami led to Bears drafting Anthony Miller
Without securing Wilson, the Bears knew they had to find another solution to fill that critical slot receiver position. They abandoned the free agency approach and decided to make their play in the draft. A trade up into the 2nd round on day two helped them grab Memphis standout Anthony Miller, who has quickly filled that void well.
He only has 89 yards to this point but he also has two touchdowns. He also would’ve had a lot more in that game if Mitch Trubisky had hit him when he was wide open down the field in the 1st quarter. Suffice to say he has a bright future ahead of him. What Wilson did on Sunday is also validation that the Bears were right to pursue him with such vigor. The only stinging part is his coming out party came at their expense.