Bears WR Alshon Jeffery remains absent from OTAs

LAKE FOREST, Ill. --Alshon Jeffery's return trip to Chicago did not include him taking part in the Bears' voluntary offseason workout program.

Jeffery, who sang during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field on Saturday, remained absent from organized team activities when the team reconvened at Halas Hall following the long holiday weekend.

Jeffery even posed for a photo with Bears head coach John Fox, who happened to be attending the Cubs vs. Phillies game that day.

As ESPN.com reported in April, Jeffery is staying away from the team facility to train in South Florida, where the receiver hopes to eliminate the soft-tissue injuries that plagued him in 2015.

A source told ESPN.com that Jeffery is expected to rejoin the team when mandatory veteran minicamp begins on June 14.

Jeffery, the Bears' franchise tag player, signed his one-year, $14.599 million tender in March.

The 26-year old wideout appeared in just nine games last season due to a variety of health setbacks that began in training camp, when he suffered a serious calf strain in a closed walk-through practice prior to Chicago's preseason opener. Jeffery missed all four exhibition games.

His season was shut down in December with a hamstring injury.

When healthy, Jeffery is one of the Bears' top players on offense, catching 54 passes for 807 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. He tied a franchise record with three straight 100-yard receiving games against Detroit, Minnesota and San Diego.

Jeffery currently has a dozen 100-yard receiving games in his four seasons with the Bears, tied for fifth-most in franchise history. He set career highs with 89 catches for 1,421 yards in 2013. Jeffery also hauled in 10 touchdowns in 2014.