Waddle lacked the size and speed to distinguish himself from other Bears wide receivers and remained on the lower rungs of the team's depth chart.

[3] In Chicago's wild card playoff loss to Dallas (17–13), Waddle was the Bears' sole standout performer on the offensive side of the ball, catching nine passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.

After finishing the 1992 season with a record of 5–11, coach Mike Ditka was fired and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt was brought in to replace him.

[7] Later that year, he suffered a concussion and a partially torn knee ligament from an illegal hit by Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Thomas Everett.

[8] The following off-season, the Bears offered Waddle a choice between a guaranteed contract at the league minimum salary, and a more lucrative deal that would be dissolved if he were cut.

He instead attended the Cincinnati Bengals' training camp, but elected to retire, as he felt that his lingering leg injuries no longer allowed him to compete at the professional level.

He later worked with Corey McPherrin to host and the Chicago Bears Gameday Live, Fox Kickoff Sunday and The Final Word.

[9] Waddle was paired with Marc "Silvy" Silverman and their show was expanded to four hours to include weekly, one-hour in-studio segments with WLS-TV sports anchor Mark Giangreco.

Waddle's wife Cara is the daughter of former Boston Patriots wide receiver and AFL Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti.