Cohen gets deal before Robinson
The Bears handed out a contract extension in the middle of the night and just in time for their second game.
No, it wasn’t for receiver Allen Robinson. Instead, the Bears signed running back Tarik Cohen to a three-year, $17.3 million deal that will keep him on the team through 2023. The deal includes $9.53 million guaranteed and can be worth as much as $18.25 million, sources confirmed.
“We’re extremely excited about being able to extend Tarik,” Bears general manager Ryan Pace said in a statement Sunday. “He’s a versatile player that has a big impact on offense and special teams. We love his character, and he’s been a spark plug for our team since we drafted him.
“Tarik and I both feel he’s a young, ascending player with a lot of high-level years left in this league, and we are glad he will be with us in the years to come.”
In the victory against the Giants, Cohen had five carries for 12 yards and caught the only ball thrown his way for 15 yards.
The Bears still have one offensive star angling for a new contract. Robinson went on social media last week and scrubbed all references to the team but later said his heart is with the Bears.
Mooney throw
Darnell Mooney’s first career touchdown took improvisation.
With 24 seconds left in the first half, the rookie lined up left. When quarterback Mitch Trubisky looked to scramble when the play broke down, Mooney followed his “scramble rules” — he rolled to his right along with Trubisky to get within his line of sight.
“I knew I wanted the ball,” said Mooney, who had three catches for 36 yards.
Mooney thought Trubisky would throw to the back corner, but he left it a bit short. The rookie receiver jumped in front of cornerback Corey Ballentine for the 15-yard touchdown.
“When I saw the DB’s back was turned, I had a lot of faith that he was going to come down with that football,” Trubisky said. “So I just put it up in his area, and he attacked it and made a huge play.”
The Bears are counting on Mooney to do just that, particularly after making another speedster, Ted Ginn, a healthy scratch.
Anthem protest
The Bears continued to protest racial inequality and police violence during the national anthem. Two players raised their fists in the air during Jim Cornelison’s performance: tight end Jimmy Graham and linebacker James Vaughters.
Seven more knelt: tackle Bobby Massie, linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe and defensive linemen Akiem Hicks, Brent Urban, Roy Robertson-Harris, Bilal Nichols and John Jenkins. Twenty-four players stayed in the tunnel during the anthem and took the field upon its completion.
The Bears did something similar last week in Detroit.