Former Eagles who also have roots and connections to the Bears
Dig through Philly’s record books, and you’ll find a few Eagles with connections to the Bears.
Earlier this season, the Philadelphia Eagles traded for the Chicago Bears defensive end Robert Quinn. The asking price was a fourth-round selection. Unfortunately, they haven’t gotten too much out of him as he has yet to produce a sack and currently sits on Philly’s injured reserve.
Quinn isn’t the first Bears player to join the nest. He won’t be the last. Guys like defensive end Richard Dent and tight end Mike Ditka come to mind. We’ve also recently seen former Eagles trade midnight green for the Navy Blue Bears ensemble. Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles and tight end Trey Burton come to mind. The latter threw a TD pass to the former in Super Bowl LII during a play that you may have heard of, the Philly Special.
It was strange seeing Jason Peters in a Bears jersey after he crafted a Pro Football Hall of Fame career for 12 seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. Then again, it’s even stranger watching him run around in a Cowboys jersey. That’s another story for another day though.
Hey, we aren’t just discussing players. There are former Eagles coaches that have also coached and/or taken snaps as members of the Chicago Bears.
The most notable name on that list might be former Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan, who was once the defensive coordinator for the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears. He brought some aggressiveness and grit to Philadelphia’s defense.
Ron Rivera, Leslie Fraizer, and Jeff Fisher all played for Ryan in Chicago. All ended up spending time as part of Eagles coaching staffs in Philly. Another Eagles assistant, Matt Nagy, led the Bears as their head coach from 2018 to 2021. He lost to the Eagles in a Divisional Round Playoff Game in January of 2019 in a contest affectionately referred to in Eagles lore as the “Double-Doink Game”
These proud franchises haven’t played as much as you would think, but they share a unique history. They’ve also shared a few colorful characters. Here are four former Eagles with roots in Chicago that most certainly come to mind.