Bears Bring Back Long Snapper Patrick Scales

The Chicago Bears special teams will look largely the same in 2021 as they did last year. This afternoon, reports surfaced indicating long snapper Patrick Scales, the final piece to the Bears’ place-kicking mechanism, has agreed to a one-year deal with the team. The pact is worth $990K with a $137,500 signing bonus — nearly all guaranteed.

Scales, 33, will be returning for his seventh year as a Chicago Bear. In the last week, the Bears have brought back kicker Cairo Santos and punter Pat O’Donnell. Scales was the last remaining piece of the puzzle that is the kicking unit.

Since 2015, Scales and O’Donnell have been handling the snapping and holding procedures of the kicking game. That familiarity and consistency will only stand to benefit the special teams heading into the 2021 season.