Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy has confirmed that the team is releasing Cody Parkey:
#Bears coach Matt Nagy confirmed Cody Parkey is being released: “We’ve talked to Cody and Cody knows were going to go on in a different direction… it was a healthy talk, he took it like a true professional. We wish him the best.” https://t.co/RcHKGxALcT
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2019
General manager Ryan Pace had more information about the decision:
Cody Parkey will be designated as a post June 1 cut after the start of the league year in March 13 says #Bears GM Ryan Pace
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) February 27, 2019
The placekicker was told that the team was “looking to go in a different direction” by the head coach, and that he handled the news “like a true professional.”
Even before his “Double Doink” miss in Chicago's Wild Card loss, Parkey was struggling in his first year in Chicago. In the regular season, Parky converted 23 of 30 field goals (76.7 percent), including missing three of 10 kicks between 30-39 yards. He also missed three extra-point tries. Parkey will still be owed $3.5 million in guaranteed money from the Bears in 2019.
Cody Parkey has been a decent player for most of his career, but he really struggled with the Bears and unfortunately will be best-known for the playoff “double doink.” Parkey had a chance to beat the Philadelphia Eagles with a 43-yard field goal in the waning moments of this past season's wild-card round. The Eagles called a timeout before the snap to negate Parkey's first field goal try. On his second attempt, Parkey's kick was a miss as the ball hit the left upright and crossbar before landing back out into the end zone.
It will be interesting to see where Cody Parkey lands next, if he lands anywhere at all.