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At Least It Didn't Cost the Bears $10 Million to Figure Out Adam Archuleta Isn't Very Good

It looks like Adam Archuleta's NFL career could be nearing its end. The Redskins forked over $10 million guaranteed before the 2006 season for the former first-round pick only to see him lose his starting job in training camp before an injury put him back in the lineup. And then, last off-season, Washington traded Archuleta to the Bears, a team that had pursued him the year before.

Bears head coach Lovie Smith had coached Archuleta in St. Louis, and figured the safety would be comfortable in the Cover-2 defense he grew up with playing for the Rams. Didn't happen. And today, Archuleta is looking for work.

So what happened? No idea. But the Bears have a glut at safety and Archuleta became expendable. The team drafted LSU's Craig Steltz in the fourth round of the 2008 draft, and he joins Mike Brown, Brandon McGowan, Danieal Manning, and Kevin Payne.

Archuleta, 30, is an unrestricted free agent. And yet Rex Grossman, who has arguably been just as big a disappointment as Archuleta, is still gainfully employed. I'm pretty sure the Bears' '08 season wasn't going to hinge on Archuleta's role with the team; can't say the same thing about Grossman.

Hat tip: Pro Football Talk

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