Marquise Goodwin signed with the Bears in April and is vying for one of Chicago’s receiver spots following a 2020 opt-out. The veteran wide receiver will also attempt to capture a spot on the U.S. Olympic team Friday afternoon.
A 2012 Olympian in the long jump, Goodwin will compete for a spot at the Tokyo Games in the event. The long jump competition at the U.S. trials in Eugene, Ore., begins at 3:30pm CT. Goodwin missed out on the Rio Games in 2016, finishing in seventh at the trials. He placed 10th in London nine years ago.
Despite Goodwin’s NFL standing not being what it was when he last attempted to make an Olympic team, Bears coaches were behind his bid to make this year’s squad, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune notes. Goodwin, 30, last made the U.S. team in the long jump while at Texas but missed out ahead of his final Bills season.
This year, Goodwin jumped the Olympic standard at a meet in March. That mark of 8.12 meters (26 feet, 6 inches) is tied for 25th in the world this year, but it ranks eighth among American long jumpers. The top three finishers Friday qualify for the U.S. team. Goodwin is part of a 24-jumper field in Eugene. That group includes two jumpers — reigning Olympic champ Jeff Henderson and LSU’s JuVaughn Harrison — who have eclipsed Goodwin’s personal-best jump (8.33 meters, set at the 2012 trials) this season.
Should the 5-foot-9 wideout make his second Olympic team, he will be late to Bears training camp. The Tokyo Games begin July 23; the long jump competition is scheduled for Aug. 2. The Bears begin camp July 27. Goodwin joins Damiere Byrd as veteran newcomers aiming to make Chicago’s 53-man roster; the Bears also used a sixth-round pick on Dazz Newsome. Goodwin’s one-year deal comes in barely north of the league minimum, but the Bears did guarantee him $350K.
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