Pat

O'Donnell

O’Donnell signed a one-year deal with the Packers this offseason after the Bears opted to let him walk. A veteran punter with nine years of NFL experience, we wouldn’t expect him to be on the open market for long. He lost the job to form XFL punter Daniel Whelan, who signed with the team earlier this offseason.

Contract terms have not yet been released. O’Donnell was drafted by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 draft and he’s spent his entire career in Chicago. As long as Aaron Rodgers is under center, he should see the field less for the Packers than he did for the Bears.

This news comes only 24 hours after the team re-signed journeyman K Cairo Santos to a lucrative three-year deal. O’Donnell has been with Chicago since being selected in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. At this rate, he’ll simply retire around River North.

O’Donnell has been the Bears’ punter since being selected in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. His 40.3 net average last season was 17th in the league while his 29 punts landed inside the 20 was good enough for 12th-best.

He’s the sixth Bears pick to sign. O’Donnell will compete with Tress Way and Drew Butler in training camp, but barring a total face-plant, will be the Bears’ punter this season.

O’Donnell (6-foot-4 1/8, 220) spent one year with the Hurricanes after transferring from Cincinnati and set The U’s single-season record for yards-per-punt average (47.1), also handling kickoffs and holding. 23 of O’Donnell’s 53 senior-year punts went for 50-plus yards. A good athlete for the position, O’Donnell ran 4.64 at the Combine with a 30 1/2-inch vertical, which could come in handy on fakes. He’ll immediately become the favorite for punting duties in Chicago, over Tress Way and Drew Butler.

O’Donnell logged a whopping 47.0-yard gross average as the Bears’ punter last season, but his net (39.7) wasn’t good enough, and that’s why he was unable to land a multi-year deal. O’Donnell was the Bears’ sixth-round pick in 2014.