Tait Gives Notice of Intent to Retire

It’s official. Offensive tackle John Tait has given the Chicago Bears notice that he will be retiring instead of returning for the 2009 season. The 34-year-old has been with the Bears since 2004 and has started at least 13 games every season since then.  Tait has yet to file his paperwork with the league.

Head coach Lovie Smith said, “I think after you’ve played as many years as John has you get to the point where you’ve had enough… I tried to talk him out of it, but for the guys that know John, you know that he doesn’t come to decisions overnight. He put a little bit of thought into it, so we wish him the best and we’ll go from there.”

The loss of Tait will likely have a bearing on the contract negotiations with John St. Clair, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent. The Bears also have last year’s first round draft pick, Chris Williams, at tackle. The loss of Tait will likely mean that the Bears take at least one backup in that position during the draft, probably in the later rounds. See next year’s team with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

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