Michael Schofield, shown at a Schofield Family Foundation golf event, was signed by the Chicago Bears on Monday. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Michael Schofield signs with hometown Chicago Bears
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
Last September, Michael Schofield was looking for work after being cut during training camp by the Baltimore Ravens.
His people contacted the Chicago Bears.
It sounded like a pretty good idea for both parties.
He had experience — and a Super Bowl ring — as an NFL offensive linemen and the Bears appeared to need some help in that area, as they had Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields to protect at the quarterback position.
According to a source, the Bears weren’t interested and told him they were set on the line.
Schofield, however, quickly found work with the Los Angeles Chargers, the team he had played for from 2017-2019. He started 12 games in 2021.
Well, it’s 2022 and the phrase “what a difference a year makes” can be dusted off and used again. The Bears have a new coaching staff and general manager, and Schofield was looking for work again.
What stayed the same is that the Bears still need help on the line.
Schofield hopes to provide that help.
On Monday, the Orland Park native and Sandburg graduate was signed by the Bears to a one-year deal. He was scheduled to join the team Tuesday as it opened training camp. Chicago gave him a workout July 24 in Lake Forest and liked what it saw.
The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Schofield will be battling Sam Mustipher for the starting right guard job. The Bears also drafted four linemen and one of them might be in the derby for that spot as well.
Schofield, 31, played in 102 regular-season games with 81 starts and 5,533 snap counts with Denver (winning a Super Bowl as a starter for the 2015 Broncos), the Chargers and Carolina. He’s been penalized 17 times and allowed 22.5 sacks during his career.
Should Schofield make the Bears out of training camp, that will increase his profile in the Chicago area. He and his wife, Team USA hockey hero Kendall Coyne Schofield, are already active in the community. The couple founded the Schofield Family Foundation, which in recent years has raised money for first responders, families, youth sports and education/research. Kendall has hosted youth hockey camps and Michael has run linemen camps in the summer.
After COVID-19 made a mess of the 2020 high school football season in Illinois, Michael was available as a volunteer assistant coach for Sandburg during the abbreviated 2021 spring season.
Both are also part owners of the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL.
Schofield got his start in football with the Orland Park Pioneers youth football program because his younger brother, Andrew, wanted to play. Michael said he was more of a baseball player at the time. He played wide receiver and linebacker for the Pioneers, but converted to a two-way lineman at Sandburg. He blossomed into an elite lineman at Michigan and was drafted in the third round by Broncos in 2014.
He did not play a down for the Broncos that year. But when head coach John Fox left and later coached the Bears and Gary Kubiak took over in Denver, Schofield quickly worked his way into the starting lineup and helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl. It was the last time Denver made the playoffs.
MICHAEL SCHOFIELD FILE
Michael Schofield’s NFL regular-season playing history:
Year Team Games Starts Snaps
2014 Broncos 0 0 0
2015 *Broncos 13 13 871
2016 Broncos 16 16 1,043
2017 Chargers 15 5 407
2018 Chargers 16 16 978
2019 Chargers 16 16 1,056
2020 Panthers 11 3 270
2021 Chargers 15 12 908
Career 102 81 5,533
*– Super Bowl Champion
Local News
It’s a busy January in Gage Park
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Neighborhood correspondent at large Greetings, Gage Parkers! I’m pleased to be filling in this week for Karen Sala. It’s fun for me to report on Gage Park, the neighborhood where I lived for the first 26 years of my life. There’s always something happening in this big, exciting part of…
You can bank on good service here
Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 In this world of corporate takeovers, it is kind of hard to feel safe in the hands of big business. First, we have to supply some of our personal information to the automated system. Then there’s…
Palos Park police to hold active shooter drill
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Palos Park Police will fine tune their strategies for dealing with an active shooter to ensure the safety of both officers and citizens later this month. The end goal of the January 30 drlll is to test the department’s active shooter response plans and fine tune them. “Palos Park effective…
Richards’ Principal walks 24 hours for a cause
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Most people spend New Year’s Day relaxing. Richards High School Principal Dr. Mike Jacobson spent it on the treadmill. For the second year in a row, Jacobson inspired generous donations of more than $20,000 on New Year’s Day by walking 24 hours on a treadmill without stopping. All of the money raised goes directly…
Victress Women’s Wellness Center sets goals for 2022
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Empowering women in the new year is Victress, a wellness center for women, in Palos Heights. The center opened in October at 7120 W. 127th St. and welcomed in the new year with a goal-setting seminar open to women in the local community called, Achieve 2022: This year set goals,…
Broadcast news — Palos Heights’ Channel 4 has big 2021
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The first Palos Heights city council meeting of 2022 featured a few minutes of bragging about Channel 4’s success in 2021. The local cable channel had a record-breaking year and Alderman Jerry McGovern was more than happy to run down the happy totals at Tuesday’s board meeting at City Hall.…
Obituaries for Jan. 20, 2022
Spread the loveTHERESA M. BALDWIN Theresa M. Baldwin (nee Boxlietner), age 76, passed away December 12, 2021. Beloved wife of Richard Baldwin; loving mother of Michael Kresch, Kenneth Kresch, Crystal Nelson and Denise Baldwin; dear grandmother of Samantha Peters, Dennis Nelson, Devorie Nelson, Korin Leeth, Kayla Nelson, Kaylee Nelson, Travis Spagnola, Kyle Kresch, Sydney Kresch,…
Experienced bakers buy The Great American Bagel in Palos Heights
Spread the loveNew owners nearly double the menu for breakfast, lunch By Cosmo Hadac When The Great American Bagel’s shop in Palos Heights changed hands late last year, the new owners who walked in the door weren’t exactly new. Manny Rios Sr. and his wife, Silvia, have nearly 50 years of combined experience in…
New owner will keep Palmer Place name and burgers Copy
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Palmer Place Restaurant and Biergarten, a mainstay in downtown La Grange for nearly 40 years, will soon have new owners. But not much else will change. The name on 56 S. La Grange Road will still read Palmer Place. The employees now there will still have their jobs. And the…
Neighbors
Nursing home industry unlikely to see much help from Springfield in tough budget year
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com It’s been four years since some of the worst scenes of COVID-19 played out in locked-down nursing homes during the early months of the pandemic. But while most of the world has moved on, the nursing home industry is still reeling from COVID, which exacerbated pre-existing challenges in…
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he…
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that…
Hundreds of bills pass, including changes to state’s biometric data privacy law
By HANNAH MEISEL COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABEDDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers passed more than 200 bills this week ahead of their scheduled May 24 adjournment. Many of the measures will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, including a bill that changes how damages accrue under Illinois’ first-in-the-nation biometric data privacy law.…
Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield this week at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker…
With 1 week left in session, Pritzker admin says all revenue options remain on the table
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration. Read more: ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to…
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will…
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he…
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new…
As vacated Centralia funeral home prepares for new tenant, owner makes a startling find
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s. The…