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TEMPE, Ariz. -- As Sam Acho sat in a Chicago hotel Tuesday night, he was stuck in between his past and his future.  Behind him were the first four years of his career, all with the Arizona Cardinals, and in front of him was a season with the Chicago Bears. A collision of emotions waved over the outside linebacker. In a matter of hours he traded in the sunshine of Arizona for parkas on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Acho, an unrestricted free agent, was signed by the Chicago Bears to a one-year "prove it" contract. "It's a sad day," Acho said on "The Freaks with Kenny and Crash" on Fox Sports Phoenix 910 AM. "But I keep saying it's kinda like turning the page -- a new opportunity." Acho looked back on his tenure in Arizona fondly during his interview. He was respected in the Cardinals' locker room because of his off-field work, which included missions to Nigeria, the birth place of his parents, and his involvement in the Phoenix community. While reminiscing about his Arizona memories, Acho listed a slew of former teammates who influenced his time in the desert including Adrian Wilson, Calais Campbell, Rich Bartel, Mike Adams, Rashad Johnson, Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson. Acho also singled out Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald for befriending him when Acho was a rookie. "I've had so many great memories and met so many great people with and through Fitz," Acho said. "Those memories don't leave you." Acho contributed most to Arizona's defense in his first two seasons, 2011 and 2012, when Ray Horton was the defensive coordinator. He had seven of his 13 career sacks in 2011 and a career-high 45 tackles in addition to four sacks in 2012. In Week 3 of 2013, Acho broke his leg and missed the rest of the season after starting two of the Cards' first three games that year. His role diminished last season to the point where he played less than 10 snaps against St. Louis and Seattle in weeks 15 and 16. While he wasn't part of the Cardinals' plans for 2015, the Bears and their new coaching staff wanted Acho. Acho said he began hearing from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio about a week ago and the two talked about rebuilding the Bears' defense. Fangio, the former San Francisco defensive coordinator, had been familiar with Acho since his rookie season because the Cardinals and Niners faced each other twice a year. The attention from Chicago ramped up the last few days, Acho said. While he was in a class Thursday, Acho, who's studying for his MBA, received a call from new Bears coach John Fox. Thirty minutes later, outside linebackers coach Clint Hurtt called and then Bears defensive end Lamarr Houston, who was Acho's teammate at the University of Texas, also reached out. Acho flew to Chicago on Tuesday night and signed with the Bears on Wednesday morning. "It feels good to be wanted," Acho said. Acho said he'll return to Arizona for a short time and report to Chicago for the beginning of offseason workouts, which can begin April 6 since the Bears have a new head coach. After renting in Arizona on a month-by-month basis, Acho said he's thinking about buying a place in Phoenix and making it his home. "Now that I'm moving on," Acho said, "I'm [thinking] Phoenix is a place I want to stay."
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