Danny Trevathan signed a big free-agent contract with the Chicago Bears on Thursday. It's a deal the linebacker never thought he'd get.
The 25 year old feared his career was over in December 2014 after suffering a dislocated kneecap, the third injury on that same knee.
"When I had my injury, I thought it was over for me, but at the same (time) I wanted to get back," Trevathan said Thursday, via ESPN.com "So I fell back in love with it (the game of football) and I don't want that love to ever leave.
"I thought it was over because that was my third injury on that leg, but (luckily) it was the same injury."
The injury didn't slow Trevathan in 2015. He gobbled up 109 tackles in 15 regular-season starts and three playoff wins en route to a Super Bowl 50 victory.
Trevathan signed a four-year, $24.5 million contract with the Chicago Bears that includes $12 million in guarantees.
The tackling machine is a perfect fit in Chicago, reuniting with former coach John Fox. While the money is big for a man with multiple knee injuries who thought his career was over at 25, Trevathan possesses the ability to stuff the run while also being able to cover running backs out of the backfield -- something the Bears desperately needed with players like Theo Riddick in the division.
Trevathan might have thought his career was over in 2014, but a new chapter is just beginning.
