Chicago Bears on the free agency honor roll after Day 1

The Chicago Bears opened free agency by addressing the final must-have needs and adding a veteran defensive tackle in the first iteration of Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson tackling the off season.

We’ll skip the pleasantries today and get right down to the grades.

Drew Dalman (3/$42M; $14M AAV; $28M guaranteed)

I’ll take a little victory lap here that I was only $2 million off the actual contract here. As expected, the Bears had to pay a premium that reflects the growing market for interior linemen. But the trifecta — adding two guards and a center — Poles and Johnson sought to create before draft was completed. There was no sense quibbling over a few million to get the job done.

If Dalman does his job, Bears fans expect not to hear his name that often. Unless he turns into a Pro Bowl caliber center entering his prime at age 26. There’s enough to pan about the financial side of the deal, but that’s how offensive line contracts are breaking, as teams with fortified defensive fronts continue to feast on lesser competition.

In a vacuum, it’s an overpay. So too you can argue about Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. Consider the need and other contracts handed out in the market, and things look a lot better. Aaron Banks (4/$77M) signed for $19 million a year with Green Bay and Will Fries (5/$88M) for almost $18 million a year with Minnesota. Chicago would have needed to top those offers. So the guard market took off, as also expected.

Grade: A

Chicago did a nice job here locking down a consistent center, who is young, and complete the offensive line makeover. Will they actually be good in action? That we don’t know, but the Bears didn’t put lipstick on a pig and tell us its an offensive line suitable for a top-10 quarterback again.

Dayo Odeyingbo, Edge (3/$48M; $16M AAV; $32M guaranteed)

The edge rusher market shaped up about how it was expected. Josh Sweat led topped the market with $19M AAV, and my Bears mock selection of Chase Young came in just below his market value (3/$51M).

It’s easy to see why the Bears liked Odeyingbo enough to bring him in on this deal. He won’t turn 26 until September and is 6-6, 286. The prototype for a Dennis Allen defense. This is a bet on his age and upside. Odeyingbo had three sacks last year but 17 quarterback hits and 50 pressures. He’s an upgrade across the board for the Bears. If Allen can unlock more, the fit across from Montez Sweat is easy to see.

Grade: B

I’m a bigger fan of upside swings on defensive players. Odeyingbo is still young and perhaps hasn’t hit his prime yet. He’s missed only one game the last three seasons, and isn’t far removed from an eight-sack year in 2023. Competent is the mid-case scenario, but Chicago gives Allen his upside piece to mold, at a decent rate if the mediocre prevails.

Grady Jarrett, DT (3/$43.5M; $14.5M AAV; $28.5M guaranteed)

It appears Poles has a free agent contract structure he likes. A longtime staple and fan favorite in Atlanta, the Bears signed the former Pro Bowl tackle just hours after he was a cap casualty of the Falcons. The interior defensive market was also pretty fierce this year. Milton Williams land THE bag at $26M annually and the Vikings signed Jonathan Allen at 3/$60M.

Jarrett is 31, so the initial contact numbers jump out. He’s a year old than Allen, but his production has remained steady. He missed half of 2023 with an injury, but played all 17 games last year. Sack totals aside, his numbers don’t divert far from before the injury. He’s a capable starter alongside Gervon Dexter.

Grade: C+

My initial reaction has tempered down some. A name-brand player Jarrett still is and its fair to think he has plenty left in the tank. He won’t be asked to carry the defensive line load as he was in Atlanta, which helps the contract. Yet, it’s a hefty deal for a 31-year-old that can decline at any time. I might like this more as the roster forms in the draft, or like it less. More would be dependent on the Bears adding the next-up defensive tackles in April.

Final thoughts

A fine start to free agency for Poles and Johnson.

I hesitate to say they overpaid on the former two because the market dictated things, especially for Dalman. The Jarrett contract feels like paying a premium on what he’s been, but his experience on and off the field is a welcome addition to this Bears locker room.

All that said, these deals might reflect where NFL front offices think the salary cap is going in the next few years. The cap rose from $255M in 2024 to $279M in 2025. There’s nothing standing in the way of it nearing $300M in 2026. What seems like a burdensome Grady Jarrett contract now, might the cost of a rotational player this time next year.

That’s always a risky bet, but so far Poles has proven he can structure these contracts with easy outs. Just look at the Montez Sweat deal again.

Further, the Bears did nothing that impacts their draft. With picks at 10, 39 and 41, Chicago can add quality impact players across the board. There’s no gaping starting spot open, unless you consider running back one of those, and the Bears can take a best-player-available approach now.