Having already collaborated on a trade that shook the NFL world before the 2018 season, the Bears and Raiders pulled off another swap on Monday.
Oakland sent kicker Eddy Pineiro to Chicago in return for a conditional 2021 seventh-round draft pick, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported.
ESPN first reported the news.
While the latest Bears-Raiders trade is ions removed from the colossal Khalil Mack deal, it is evidence of the Bears searching high and low for a new kicker.
Cody Parkey infamously missed a “double-doink” field goal attempt that was partially blocked to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Since then, Parkey has been released, tryouts have been had, four kickers with no NFL experience have been brought in and an additional quartet combined to go two for eight from 43 yards in the previous week’s rookie camp opener.
Now, the Bears are hoping they have traded for a new kicker.
Pineiro, 23, played at the University of Florida, but went undrafted in 2018 and signed with Oakland as an undrafted free agent. He was put on injured reserve by the Raiders in September of 2018.
He has no NFL stats, but in his final year at Florida, he converted 94 percent of his field goals (17 for 18). Thus, he might well be the Bears‘ best chance at remedying the ills of their kicking game.