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Jimmy Clausen

Bears Sign Jimmy Clausen

June 5th, 2014 at 5:08pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears have signed quarterback Jimmy Clausen, quarterback coach Steve Clarkson announced on Twitter. Clausen, 26, hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since his rookie year in 2010.

Last September, Clausen underwent shoulder surgery and he says that he’s feeling healthy and ready to contribute. “I’m still really young,” Clausen told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “I’m going into my fifth year in the league. I feel great. This is probably right now the healthiest I’ve been since my junior year in college, to be honest with you.”

Clausen indicated that he wanted an opportunity to be someone’s No. 2 quarterback to help set him up for a starting job down the line, and that’s exactly what Chicago could provide for him. The QB spoke with Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links) and said that he would compete to be Jay Cutler’s first understudy but stopped short of any boastful projections.

The Bears already have three backup QBs in camp in Jordan Palmer, late draft pick David Fales, and practice squad holdover Jerrod Johnson. The signing of Johnson could indicate some level of dissatisfaction with the trio.

Since playing in 13 games (10 starts) in his rookie season with the Panthers, the former Notre Dame standout and longtime QB prodigy has barely seen the field. The Bears will have to cut someone in order to create space for Clausen but no such move has been announced yet.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Clausen, Quinn, Ponder

April 18th, 2014 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Former second-round pick Jimmy Clausen hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since his rookie year in 2010, but having undergone shoulder surgery last September, the 26-year-old feels like he’s healthy and ready to contribute somewhere. Clausen tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today that he’s looking for an opportunity to compete for a No. 2 job, then hopes to work his way up from there.

“I’m still really young,” Clausen said. “I’m going into my fifth year in the league. I feel great. This is probably right now the healthiest I’ve been since my junior year in college, to be honest with you.”

As the former Notre Dame signal-caller continues to look for NFL work, let’s check out a few other Good Friday updates from around the league….

  • Although the team has yet to do so, the Rams will exercise Robert Quinn‘s fifth-year option by next month’s deadline, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Quinn, like fellow defense end Muhammad Wilkerson, should be in line for a 2015 salary of $6.969MM.
  • Meanwhile, Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune takes a look at Christian Ponder‘s potential fifth-year option, which seems unlikely to be picked up by the Vikings.
  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, Montreal Alouettes GM Jim Popp said newly-signed receiver Chad Johnson simply “wanted to be part of a team again,” and isn’t angling to make an NFL comeback (Twitter link).
  • North Dakota State quarterback Brock Jensen worked out for the Packers and could be a fit for the club, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
  • Five NFL teams have visited Wyoming to work out quarterback Brett Smith, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com, who says (via Twitter) that Smith is a likely late-round pick if he’s drafted at all.