Taylor Gabriel hasn’t played a down of football since 2019, but that doesn’t mean he’s opposed to flirting with the occasional comeback.
The former Chicago Bears wide receiver spent his final two seasons with the Bears after singing a four-year $26 million contract with the team in 2018.
The wideout finished with career-highs in catches (67) and yards (688) in his first year with the Bears in 2018, but multiple concussions during his 2019 campaign cut his time with the Bears short. He wound up playing in nine games in 2019, and Chicago released him after the season concluded. He opted out in 2020, and wound up retiring the following year in 2021.
Gabriel developed a solid connection with ex-Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in his two years in the Windy City, though, and after seeing Trubisky will get another shot to be a starter after inking a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gabriel took to Twitter to hint he wouldn’t mind returning for a reunion with the 27-year-old QB in the Steel City.
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Gabriel Has Solid Career for an UDFA
An undrafted free agent out of Abilene Christian, Gabriel signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2014. He played in 29 games for Cleveland, catching 64 passes for 862 yards (13.5 yards per catch) and a touchdown in his two seasons with the team.
The Atlanta Falcons picked him up in 2016, and he spent the following two years catching passes from Matt Ryan. Gabriel was with Atlanta for two seasons, catching 68 passes for 957 yards (14.1 yards per catch) and seven scores, before he landed in Chicago in 2018.
In his two seasons with the Bears, Gabriel had 96 receptions for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns, and he established himself as a quality deep threat for Trubisky:
Taylor Gabriel with a sensational catch. 47 yarder from Mitch Trubisky
Gabriel and Trubisky continued to have an on-field rapport in 2019, highlighted by Gabriel’s six-catch, 75-yard performance at Washington Week 3, in which the wideout hauled in three TDs, all coming in the second quarter:
Mitchell Trubisky to Taylor Gabriel for the THIRD time tonight.
(via @thecheckdown)
When hearing about Trubisky signing with the Steelers, Gabriel tweeted: “turn me up then:”
@NFL @Mtrubisky10 @steelers We’ll turn me up then ✈️
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Gabriel’s Concussion History Is Concerning
The 5-foot-7, 168-pound wideout is on the smaller side of the wide receiver spectrum, but his speed earned him the nickname “Turbo” when he was in the league. He was a solid playmaker when healthy, but his history with head injuries alone is concerning.
Gabriel, who turned 31 in February, missed six games in 2019 due to multiple concussions, and it wasn’t a surprise when he ultimately chose to leave the game in 2021.
Gabriel also missed three games in 2015 due to a concussion when he was with the Browns and another in 2016, when he played for the Falcons. Four concussions in six seasons is a lot for any player, and it’s hard to believe Gabriel would get much consideration from teams if he’s at all serious about a comeback. It’s likely he just misses the game and enjoyed playing with Trubisky. Stranger things have happened, but he was probably just waxing wistful.
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Retired Ex-Bear Hints He’d Like to Return to Play With Trubisky in Pittsburgh