Robert Tonyan's Plan To Join Bears Literally Goes Back 2 Full Years

It was a surprise to many Chicago Bears fans when Robert Tonyan elected to sign a one-year deal with the team. Most expected him to work out some sort of deal with the Green Bay Packers. After all, they'd given him his opportunity as an undrafted free agent and helped him morph into one of the better tight ends in the league a couple of years ago. Green Bay has a long history of keeping its own. Not only did he leave, but he left for one of their biggest rivals. It was a shock. Just not to Tonyan.

Sean Hammond of Shaw Local spoke to the veteran tight end about how things unfolded. It turns out the seeds of coming to Chicago started shortly after Tonyan injured his knee two years ago.

But his desire to play closer to home only became more intense over the past two years as he dealt with a torn ACL in his knee. The injury, suffered midway through the 2021 season, sidelined him for 10 months. He returned to play in all 17 of the Packers’ games last season, but said it took almost the entire season before he felt like himself again.

Going through the rehab and recovery on his own told him exactly what he needed moving forward.

“I just needed my circle again,” Tonyan told Shaw Local. “After an injury season like that and getting down in the dumps, you’re not getting back a part of what you thought you were before. A lot of change going on. It was just like: What makes me happy? It was being around those people, being around those who actually have love for you and who actually care about you as a person.”

Tonyan is a native of McHenry, Illinois.

He grew up there. It became a culture shock when he was no longer surrounded by friends or family in Green Bay. The fact everybody hated the team he grew up watching (the Bears) made it tougher still. The isolation from his ACL injury hammered into him how miserable he was despite his team's success. Sometimes you just have to go home.

Robert Tonyan is regaining his old form.

That much is evident from early practices. Beat writers have noticed how active he is in the passing game, showcasing his unique mix of size, speed, and strong hands. It was the biggest reason the Bears wanted to bring him in. A combination of him and Cole Kmet could give this offense a dimension it hasn't had in years—anything to make life for quarterback Justin Fields easier. Tonyan would love nothing better than to help his hometown team regain its old form as a winner in the NFL.

It's rather fitting his first game in navy blue will be against his former team. The Packers wasted no time moving on, selecting two tight ends in the draft last April. He'll undoubtedly want to send them a message with a strong performance. Much of it depends on how he and Fields mesh over the next two months. No doubt the Bears coaching staff will have some wrinkles planned for that game. It's a safe bet lots of "12" personnel (two tight ends) will be involved.