McHenry's Tonyan Signs With Bears: 'I Know I Made The Right Decision'

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — Robert Tonyan embraces the fact that one's journey to a destination doesn’t always have to follow a traditional or similar path that others may choose to follow. After all, for someone who has never wanted to compare himself to anyone else, taking a unique route to his dreams always made the most sense.

So, when the McHenry native and former McHenry High School star quarterback set his eyes on an NFL career years ago, Tonyan was willing to get there by any means necessary. But for a 28-year-old veteran tight end who on Thursday signed a one-year free agent deal with the Chicago Bears, the fact that he is now at the place where he always envisioned being one day after spending four years on the other side of the rivalry with the Green Bay Packers comes as no surprise.

Not to him at least.

Tonyan signed with the Bears after spending five seasons with the Packers. Tonyan finished last season with 53 catches, 470 receiving yards, and two touchdowns a year after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. But entering free agency after the Packers failed to make the playoffs, Tonyan said Friday that he wanted to hold his future in his own hands.

That ultimately led him back to the place where he grew up and an opportunity to finally play in a uniform he always envisioned himself in.

“My dream has always been to just play in the NFL, I had no idea where I was going to be (or) how I was going to get there. I just knew I was going to be in the NFL,” Tonyan said in a Zoom call interview with reporters. “Wherever that journey was going to take me or whatever I needed to get there – change from quarterback to receiver to tight end – just playing football is my dream, my life.”

“Did I think I would be (a) tight end for the Bears? No. But did I think I’d play for the Bears? Yeah. Absolutely. In my brain, I was playing for the Bears my whole life.”

Tonyan — who played initially played quarterback at Indiana State after starring at the position at McHenry — made the move to wide receiver and finished his college career as a fifth-year senior with 56 catches for 699 yards and a school record 10 touchdowns. He finished his career with a school-record 20 touchdown catches and finished as the school’s second-all-time leading receiver with 2,047 yards.

After signing with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent, Tonyan transitioned to the Packers after being released by Detroit prior to his rookie season. He originally signed on with Green Bay’s practice squad for the final four weeks of the season before being re-signed prior to the 2020 season when he had a breakout season.

The season included a nationally televised game against the Atlanta Falcons in which Tonyan caught three touchdown passes and finished the game with six receptions and 98 receiving yards. After tearing his ACL in 2021, Tonyan was able to recover in 10 months — another part of the journey he never envisioned going through to get to where he needed to get.

He said while his body and mind weren't locked in on football for nearly a year, he never lost sight of returning to the field, which he did before emerging as the Packers' top tight-end target last season.

“It’s been quite the journey – not as normal or easy as some people. Some people’s paths and destination are just different,” Tonyan said on Friday. “It just goes to show my personality — just keep going. There’s going to be ups and downs, but if you can just stay even-keeled internally and have a vision and the goals at the end, and when you see the light at the end of the tunnel just kind of take advantage of it.”

In Chicago, Tonyan will be reunited with former Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy, who now serves as the Bears' offensive coordinator. Tonyan said that working relationship along with a solid belief in a two-tight end system that will pair him with Cole Kmet while playing with a young star in quarterback Justin Fields made the Bears the right fit for him.

Tonyan said he feels blessed to return to play for the Bears and be closer to where he grew up and to prove and showcase “my brand of football” in front of family and friends and on “this side of the rivalry.”

Tonyan said he still has a jersey and autograph from former Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher in the basement of his home. Asked Friday if his childhood allegiance to the Bears ever made things difficult with his Packers’ teammates, Tonyan said that everyone always knew where he came from and how much pride he has in his hometown.

Asked Friday about the reality of leaving Green Bay at a time when his former quarterback Aaron Rodgers made news in going into a period of darkness before emerging and announcing he would seek a trade to the New York Jets may seem unique. But Tonyan said after watching Rodgers treated the same way other veteran players have been by the Packers, he knew he wanted to have a say in where he landed next despite the fact that Rodgers' future played no role in his decision.

“Holding my future in my old hands was the biggest priority,” Tonyan said Friday. “I know I made the right decision.”