Bears’ Tomczak Will Become a Free Agent

Chicago Bears quarterback Mike Tomczak says he won’t be on his team’s 37-man protected list, leaving him free to negotiate with other teams.

Tomczak said Sunday he received a letter Friday from the Bears informing him he’ll become a Plan B free agent when the list is submitted Feb. 1.

“It was my recommendation that if we wanted to give Peter Tom Willis an opportunity to see what he can do, that we let Mike go now,” Bears offensive coordinator Greg Landry said. “Not that we didn’t want Mike. And he could still decide that he wants to stay with us rather than signing with another team.

“But I felt it would be better to give Mike a chance to catch on someplace else now rather than wait until August,” Landry said. “Then, if Willis worked out and became our No. 2 quarterback, we’d hand him (Tomczak) his walking papers just before the regular season started.”

Tomczak said the letter came as a surprise because Bears Coach Mike Ditka had said he was planning to keep all three quarterbacks--Tomczak, Willis and Jim Harbaugh.

“But, like Ditka says, in life, sometimes you change your mind,” Tomczak said.

Tomczak signed with the Bears as a free agent in 1985 after all 28 NFL teams passed him up in the draft. He backed up Jim McMahon until winning the starting job in 1989. Tomczak lost the starting spot to Harbaugh this year but returned when Harbaugh suffered a separated shoulder in December.

Tomczak completed 39 of 104 passes (37.5%) for 521 yards in the regular season with three touchdowns and five interceptions.