David Gaines

* St. Louis Rams (2015 - 2018)
* Chicago Bears (2018 - Present)

**David Gaines** is an American football Wide Receiver for the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Syracuse. The New York Jets selected him with the 145th overall pick in the 2014 NFLHC Draft.

## Early Years

Gaines was born in Delhi, New York. He attended Tabernacle Christian Academy.

## College Career

David Gaines attended Syracuse for 4 years. He was never redshirted, and graduated with a degree in theatre. His senior season, he was 6th in the nation in receiving yards and 1st in receiving touchdowns.

## Professional Career

### Pre-draft

Even though Gaines was one of the top producing wide receivers in the nation, there were still questions about his ability. He did not receive an invitation to the NFLHC 2014 Combine, and as such his draft stock fell heavily.

### Draft

Gaines was drafted in the 10th round with the 145th pick of the 2014 NFLHC draft by the New York Jets. Gaines was the 17th wide receiver selected.

### New York Jets

#### 2014 Season

With the run oriented Jets, Gaines was the top receiving option. The possession style receiver, playing in his home state, did well enough to receive a Pro Bowl invitation.

#### 2015 Season

Gaines was joined by new QB Aaron Kotar along with WR Austin Medina. Gaines struggled in his sophomore season with the Jets, as he and Kotar never seemed to hit it off. Medina excelled and became the top wide receiver of the team, and the frustrated Gaines was benched in weeks 7 and 8 due to poor play. Gaines had only recorded 12 receptions for 133 yards and 0 touchdowns. Before week 9, it was revealed that David Gaines had been traded to the St. Louis Rams for a 5th round draft pick.

### St. Louis Rams

#### 2015 Season

With his new team, now alongside Walt Peck and having a pro bowl caliber QB in Darrell Murphy, Gaines started slowly. In his first 5 games as a ram, Gaines never had more than 3 receptions a game. That all changed week 15 against the Houston Texans, where Gaines recorded a 159 yard, 2 touchdown performance. The next week he proved that it wasn't a fluke with a 145 yard, 2 touchdown performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rams seemed to have caught fire, with a dynamic receiver duo charging towards Super Bowl II against the Miami Dolphins. In Super Bowl II, Gaines only recorded 1 reception in the defeat, an underwhelming performance after a streak of incredible ones.

#### 2016 Season

Heading into his first full season as a Ram, David Gaines was expected to be a huge threat on the far side of the field. In week 4, a game where Darrell Murphy tossed 5 touchdown passes, Gaines had 6 receptions and 106 yards with a touchdown. The very next week, he was shut out by rookie sensation Matt Cowan. Against the Houston Texans in week 9, Gaines led all receivers with 58 yards and a touchdown. Overall, Gaines had a very consistent season, picking up about 4 catches and 60 yards a game. It was his best season yet, but he unfortunately did not win any personal awards.

#### 2017 Season

2017 was Gaines best season by far, being a dangerous #2 receiver for Darrell Murphy. His 69 receptions were second most among WR2s, behind Kansas City's Hines Mertens. While he had a record year in receptions and receiving yards, it was his lowest year in yards per carry, and he only matched his 2015 season total in touchdowns.

### Chicago Bears

#### 2018 Season

Gaines was involved in a sign and trade deal between the St. Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears. Gaines signed a contract of 1 year, $6 million and was then moved to Chicago for the Bear's 65th overall pick.