Receiver Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
The trade, which cannot become official until free agency opens Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, will also rely on Marshall passing a physical. The Jets are sending a fifth-round pick to the Bears in return, according to a source.
A nine-year veteran and five-time Pro Bowler, Marshall fought through nagging leg injuries most of last season and finished the year on the injured reserve due to fractured ribs and a punctured lung. He produced just 721 yards receiving. Before last season, Marshall racked up 1,000 yards receiving in seven consecutive seasons.
Although Marshall’s ability has never been questioned, he has often been a distraction. Last season, Marshall was part of a postgame locker room rant after a loss to the Miami Dolphins, and he challenged a Detroit Lions fan to a boxing match on Twitter.
In addition, he had weekly television duties as an analyst on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.”
A mental health spokesman, the 30-year-old Marshall has seemed to put his past off-the-field issues in the rearview mirror. The mercurial receiver will join a Jets team that figures to rely on young quarterback Geno Smith and currently has receivers Percy Harvin and Eric Decker under contract, although Harvin is likely to be released by the team.
Jets first-year head coach Todd Bowles was a key voice in making the trade. He was a member of the Dolphins’ coaching staff in 2010 and 2011, Marshall’s two-year run with the team. The Jets’ new director of college scouting, Rex Hogan, was a longtime Bears scout, so he, too, has familiarity with Marshall.
In a span of 12 months, the Jets have remade their once-woeful receiving corps. Their starters will be Marshall and Decker, whom they signed last year to a five-year, $36.25 million contract in free agency.
The move is the first major splash made by Chicago’s new leadership regime. The Bears hired coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace this offseason to succeed Marc Trestman and Phil Emery, respectively.