Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has officially signed his franchise tag tender, the team announced (on Twitter). The star receiver can still ink a long-term deal up until July 15th. 
After averaging 87 receptions and 1,277 yards in 2013 and 2014, Jeffery was plagued by injuries in 2015, but he was excellent when healthy, averaging a career-high 89.7 yards per game. Now that he has accepted the tag, he’ll be in line for a salary north of $14MM for 2016.
The Bears started to remodel their team last season but, despite some speculation to the contrary, the team did not shop Jeffery. This offseason, there was little chance that the Bears would let the 26-year-old get away. Had he entered the open market, however, he would have ranked high on PFR’s Top 50 NFL Free Agents list. The current wide receiver market is headlined by Marvin Jones, Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews, Rueben Randle, Anquan Boldin, Jermaine Kearse, and Mohamed Sanu.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Started*
Fixed, thanks.