Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith announced his retirement from the NFL on Twitter April 8.
“To the game, I will be forever Gr8fu1! It’s time now I move on from the NFL to the next chapter in my life,” Meredith tweeted, also thanking both the Bears and the New Orleans Saints, the two teams he spent his NFL career with. “The fans from all around the world,” he added, “I heard you, and you helped me get where I am today! Thank you!”
To the game, I will be forever Gr8fu1! It’s time now I move on from the NFL to the next chapter in my life. Thank you the the @ChicagoBears @Saints the fans from all around the world. I heard you, and you helped me get where I am today! Thank you!
The 29-year-old Meredith started 10 games in his two seasons with the Bears before the Saints signed him away. The Bears had used the right of first refusal restricted tender on Meredith in 2018, but New Orleans inked him to a two-year deal worth $9.6 million with additional incentives and $5.4 million guaranteed. The Bears declined to match the offer, which wound up being a wise decision, fiscally speaking.
Meredith was coming off a torn ACL at the time — and it turned out to be the most significant injury the wideout would go on to suffer over his career.
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Meredith Had a Standout Season for Bears in 2016
On a team that included Alshon Jeffery and tight end Zach Miller, Meredith led the Bears in receiving in 2016, hauling in a team-high 66 passes on 96 targets for 888 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games and 10 starts. Jeffery had 821 yards in 12 games that year, and it was looking like Meredith was on the verge of breaking out for the Bears.
Then, the 2017 preseason happened.
Meredith tore his ACL in Chicago’s third preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, also suffering additional damage to his knee that forced him to miss his entire 2017 campaign. He ended up playing just two seasons in Chicago, finishing with 77 catches for 1,008 yards and four TDs in 25 games and 10 starts and 25 games.
He wound up playing in just six games after signing with the Saints, catching nine passes on 10 targets for 114 yards and a touchdown.
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Meredith’s Promising Career Was Derailed By Knee Injury in 2017
Further tests revealed that in addition to tearing his ACL in 2017, Meredith also sustained damage to his medial collateral ligament (MCL). He worked diligently at a comeback in 2018, but remained hampered by the knee injury that year and played in just six games, starting one.
The Saints released him in July of 2019, and he caught on in New England shortly after that, signing a two-year, $2 million contract with the Patriots in August. He spent much of the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, never managing to get back onto the field, and he was subsequently released by the Pats.
He dabbled in the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2021 after taking the 2020 season off, attempting a comeback with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It didn’t work out, however, as the Blue Bombers released him after training camp ended.
Now, it appears he’s hanging up his cleats for good.
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Ex-Bears Starting WR Announces Retirement From NFL