Chicago Bears release former Kentucky linebacker
The Chicago Bears officially released former Kentucky linebacker Danny Trevathan on Wednesday, the team announced. He appeared in just five games for the Bears in the 2021-2022 season, tallying 19 tackles before finishing the season on injured reserve due to a knee injury. He’d spent the last six seasons with the Chicago Bears. The former Kentucky Wildcat established himself as one of the most productive linebackers in the league, racking up 459 tackles, seven sacks, 19 tackles for loss, three interceptions, 21 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 67 games with the team.
The Bears have now officially released Eddie Goldman, Khalil Mack, Tarik Cohen, and now Trevathan.
The Denver Broncos drafted Trevathan in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. His two best seasons with the Broncos came in 2013 and 2015, when he racked up over 100 tackles each year. In 2013, he also snatched three interceptions and in 2015, he snatched two interceptions.
While he needs to make sure he can stay healthy, Trevathan’s on-the-field production throughout his football career speaks for itself. Not only has he been a highly productive linebacker in the NFL, he was also incredibly dominant for the Kentucky Wildcats during his college days.
He was an All-American linebacker for two years in Lexington and was also selected as the National Linebacker of the Year by the College Football Performance Awards. His senior season he posted eye-popping numbers for Kentucky: 143 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, five forced fumbles, and five pass breakups. He led the SEC in tackles for both his junior and senior seasons. During his junior year, he racked up 144 tackles. Trevathan was the first linebacker in Kentucky program history to earn first team All-American honors. It shouldn’t surprise anyone the former Wildcat star was inducted into the Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.
As a high school prospect, Trevathan was yet again, remarkably productive. He racked up 117 tackles during his senior season for Leesburg (Leesburg, Florida). He earned Area Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Leesburg Daily Commercial. He was a gifted all-around athlete that also played basketball, baseball, and track. The former Kentucky star’s dad played linebacker for the Toledo Rockets.
While Trevathan’s football career might be winding down the next few years, there’s no question he established himself as one of the most productive linebackers in football everywhere he’s gone, whether it was in high school, Kentucky, or with the Bears or Broncos.