Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan on his new 3-year deal: ‘My work here is not done’
© Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune/TNS Bears inside linebacker Danny Trevathan warms up for a game against the Saints on Oct. 20, 2019, at Soldier Field. Inside linebacker Danny Trevathan said the Bears "took good care of me" when they presented him with a three-year contract extension worth up to $24 million.
His goal now — after his return to the Bears became official Friday night — is to help take care of the team.
"I feel like we have something special here," Trevathan said on a conference call with reporters. "My work here is not done. We still have work to do. The whole goal is to bring a Super Bowl back here. I feel like we're so close. I didn't want to shy away from that."
Trevathan played for the 2015 Broncos team that won the Super Bowl, so the eight-year NFL veteran knows something about playing for a championship team. The Bears again will lean on his leadership, on and off the field, as he pairs with inside linebacker Roquan Smith for a third straight season to set the tone for the defense.
© Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune/TNS Bears inside linebacker Danny Trevathan takes the field on Oct. 20, 2019, at Soldier Field. Neither ended his 2019 season the way he wanted to. Smith missed most of December with a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery. Trevathan had 70 tackles and four quarterback hits over his first nine games, but he didn't play in the final seven because of a left elbow injury.
He said he is back to full strength and cleared to play.
"Obviously I was torn I couldn't finish with my guys, with the team, the way I planned to," Trevathan said. "I started off strong and I was just getting started. The best is yet to come."
The Broncos drafted Trevathan out of Kentucky in the sixth round in 2012 — "I fought my way up from the bottom," he said — and he played there for four seasons before signing his first four-year, $24.5 million contract with the Bears.
He has 327 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 14 quarterback hits, six sacks, three forced fumbles and three interceptions over four seasons in Chicago. He has missed 16 games because of injury, but he played in all 16 in 2018 as the Bears advanced to the playoffs.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace said last month at the NFL combine that Trevathan is "an important part of what we're doing," and he convinced the linebacker to return rather than test the free-agent market. Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson echoed Pace's sentiment on WMVP-AM 1000 Friday.
"He's a guy who has not only led this team but led another team that won a Super Bowl," Robinson said. "Danny has a lot of experience, and not only experience, but he's still playing at an extremely high level. Last year showed how much we missed having a player like him out on the field."
Trevathan, who turns 30 on March 24, pointed to his start last year as proof he will be able to play at a high level as he ages.
He said he listened to former Broncos teammates Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware talk about what is needed to succeed later in their careers. Both were in their 30s when they won the Super Bowl in Denver.
"You know your body," Trevathan said. "You know how to take care of it now. And you know your mindset, you know football, so you know all of those work hand in hand. If you really want to do it, you have to sacrifice. You have to take the time to take care of yourself, be responsible and keep your mind strong."
As Trevathan enters his third contract, he said he wants to work toward putting his name among the great Bears linebackers. And then he again mentioned that major thing that would help his career be remembered in Chicago.
"I also want to hold that trophy up," he said.
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