Pat O’Donnell is moving on to greener, and golder, pastures. According to multiple reports, the former Bears punter is signing with the Packers.
The Bears drafted O’Donnell in the sixth round of the 2014 draft and he’s been their full time punter ever since. Known for his ability to flip the field when needed with booming punts, O’Donnell averaged 45.1 yards per punt in his Bears career, with at least one punt traveling over 60 yards every season. His career long was a 75-yard blast against the Broncos in 2019.
Beyond punting, O’Donnell was a key member of the Bears’ field goal and PAT unit. As holder, he received snaps from long snapper Patrick Scales and made sure the ball was properly in place for Cairo Santos to knock home. O'Donnell, Scales and Santos were a well-oiled machine that helped Santos connect on over 90% of his field goals, and 96.9% of his PATs.
The Bears re-signed Scales earlier this week, and added another punter, Ryan Winslow, in February. This is Winslow’s second stint with the Bears. He initially joined the team in 2018 as an undrafted free agent, but he was waived after training camp that year. Winslow made his NFL debut with the Cardinals in 2019, where he punted six times in two games. He didn’t play at all in 2020, but punted in four games for three different teams in 2021. Winslow most recently suited up for the 49ers, and new Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, in San Francisco’s Wild Card game against the Cowboys, but he never took the field.