Sommers Signs Free Agent Contract With NFL's Bears

UW-Oshkosh tight end Joe Sommers has signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL).

Sommers signed with the Bears after not being selected in the seven-round NFL Draft that concluded on Saturday (April 30).

Sommers becomes the first Titan to sign with an NFL team since tight end Bob Docherty joined the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2006 NFL Draft.

Following his senior season at UW-Oshkosh, the American Football Coaches Association named Sommers to its NCAA Division III All-America Team. He became the fifth Titan to earn three straight All-WIAC first team awards.

Sommers also claimed 2014 All-America second team and 2013 All-West Region second team laurels from D3football.com. He received preseason All-America recognition in both 2014 and 2015 from D3football.com and in 2015 from Lindy's Sports and The Sporting News.

Sommers, a Hortonville High School graduate, finished his 40-game UW-Oshkosh career (28 starts) with 87 catches for 1,384 yards and seven touchdowns.

Sommers caught 25 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns while starting all 10 games that he played for the Titans this past season. Sommers matched a career high with eight catches for 66 yards during UW-Oshkosh's 10-7 win on Oct. 10 over UW-Whitewater, then the top-ranked team in the country.

In 2014, Sommers caught a career-high 41 passes for 669 yards and three scores. He concluded the 2013 season with 19 receptions for 362 yards and one touchdown and the 2012 campaign with two catches for 15 yards.

Sommers established a pair of game highs during the 2014 season with eight receptions against UW-Platteville and 105 receiving yards against UW-Eau Claire.

This past season, Sommers helped UW-Oshkosh to an 11-2 record and the program's second WIAC title in four years. The Titans advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III Championship after posting a pair of postseason victories.

The Chicago Bears compiled a 6-10 record last season, finishing fourth in the National Football Conference North Division. The Bears, who conduct their training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill., open their 2016 preseason schedule at home against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 11 in Soldier Field. The Bears commence their 16-game regular season schedule against the Houston Texans on Sept. 11 in NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.