Bears Join Jersey Patch Bonanza

Good tie-in or bad jinx? For obvious reasons, we're sort of torn on whether practice sponsorships by health and life insurance companies is such a good idea. Knock on wood, Bears fan. Brad Biggs at the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Chicago Bears have agreed to a practice jersey patch deal with Northshore University HealthSystem. The sponsor patch will be 3.5"x 4.5" and will not be worn in games - preseason or regular season. As with similar NFL jersey patch deals to date, the patch is one asset in a larger partnership that in this instance will include radio, stadium signage and advertising. Here's a running tally of the NFL practice jersey patch phenomenon, which kicked into high gear after the NFL owners officially approved the practice back in March:

Deals in place:

Chicago Bears: NorthShore University HealthSystem

Indianapolis Colts: Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance

New York Giants: Timex

New York Jets: Atlantic Health

Deals expected:

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Tennessee Titans