The Chicago Bears are releasing kicker Cody Parkey, league sources confirmed to ESPN Friday.
Parkey missed three extra points and eight field goals — including a 43-yard kick that would have beaten the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs — in his first season with the Bears.
The “double-doink” kick, after being slightly tipped, bounced off the left upright and hit the crossbar. Parkey also bounced four kicks off the uprights during a Week 10 victory over the Detroit Lions, which helped give him the third-lowest field goal conversion rate in the NFL.
The Bears signed Parkey to a four-year deal that included $9 million in guaranteed money last March. The team will have to carry $4,437,500 worth of dead salary-cap money once Parkey is cut.
Bears coach Matt Nagy expressed disapproval with Parkey’s decision to appear as a guest on “The Today Show” five days after missing his final attempt against Philadelphia.
The NFL Network was first to report Parkey’s release.