Bears GM Ryan Pace on Cody Parkey: 'We Need to Get Better' at Kicker Position

Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey might have played his last game with the team after missing a potential game-winning field goal in the wild-card round against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"That position is an emphasis for us," general manager Ryan Pace said of Parkey, per Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network. "We understand that we need to get better."

The Bears were especially disappointed in the kicker appearing on the Today Show Friday, where he discussed the missed field goal:

Head coach Matt Nagy discussed Parkey's decision Monday:

The 26-year-old was in just his first season with the team, finishing 23-of-30 on field-goal attempts and 42-of-45 on extra-point attempts during the regular season. 

Considering he signed a four-year, $15 million contract with the team last offseason, however, getting rid of him won't be as easy.

Parkey will have a $4.06 million cap hit in 2019, but releasing him would lead to $5.19 million in dead cap, per Sportrac. The team could spread part of this damage into 2020 if it waits until June 1, but this would still be a significant dent for a kicker not on the roster.

The 26-year-old had entered last season as one of the more reliable kickers in the game. In four years with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, Parkey had made 86.4 percent of his field-goal attempts with just four missed extra points.

He was a Pro Bowler as a rookie in 2014 and knocked in 21-of-23 field-goal attempts in 2017 before his big contract last offseason.

This could provide hope that last season's struggles were a fluke he will be able to fix going forward.

Still, it's hard to imagine the front office, coaching staff, remaining players or any fans having confidence in Parkey returning to the field next season.