Bears end their experiment with former Vikings draft pick

On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears decided to waive wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Two weeks after coughing up a game-deciding fumble against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette has been waived by the Chicago Bears.

The Bears announced the news on Tuesday, something that felt inevitable after Smith-Marsette committed several mistakes during the team’s last two games.

It’s unfortunate for the former Vikings fifth-round draft pick, but his recent mistakes were costly, and they ultimately gave Chicago no other choice than to show him the door.

After getting waived by the Chicago Bears, where will former Minnesota Vikings WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette end up next?

Earlier this year, Smith-Marsette was competing in Minnesota’s training camp for a spot on their 2022 roster. Some believed he had a shot at opening up the regular season as the Vikings’ No. 4 receiver, and the team was even considering him for their open punt returner job.

But then Minnesota made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver Jalen Reagor right before the start of the season, and suddenly, there was no longer room for Smith-Marsette on the Vikings’ roster.

Luckily for the young receiver, he was quickly claimed by the Bears on the waiver wire before Week 1. In Chicago, however, Smith-Marsette struggled to find a role in the team’s offense.

He appeared in six games for the Bears, but he was only targeted four times. With those four targets, Smith-Marsette was only able to haul in one pass for 15 yards.

The former Minnesota receiver is still only 23-years-old, so he has plenty of time left to catch on with another team. However, his chances to remain in the NFL will only continue to run out if he can’t fix the mistakes that haunted him in Chicago.