Free agent safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had multiple motivations for signing a one-year deal with the Bears last week.
But mostly, he thinks he’s doing something other players have to wait years for.
“You see so many guys get to the end of their successful careers and now they’re trying to chase a ring,” Clinton-Dix said, via Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “I have the opportunity to do that in my prime. Like I said, if you ask me, Chicago was an Eddie Jackson (playoff appearance) away from winning a Super Bowl last year. So if there was any way I could come on to this team and contribute and make plays and get my name back out there, I’m excited about that.”
Clinton-Dix was referring to Jackson’s ankle injury, which kept him from playing against the Eagles in the Wild Card round loss.
He’ll now join his former Alabama teammate in what should again be a formidable defense, replacing departed free agent Adrian Amos (who completed the circle of life by going to Green Bay, where Clinton-Dix began his career before being traded to Washington in midseason).
“I don’t know,” he said of the reasons for his departure. “I did everything right. And I did what I was asked to do. I think they were just looking for change. My time was up. I watched so many guys come in and do all the right things, and things just didn’t work out in Green Bay. So that’s what I had on my shoulders going into year five there. I had to treat every game like it was an interview. And I did just that.”
Clinton-Dix also knows that signing a one-year deal with a good team gives him a chance to establish himself for his next deal, which coupled with the success he’s expecting, could make him an attractive free agent target next year.