The Chicago Bears aren’t the only NFC North team that invested in the line of scrimmage during a whirlwind start to the NFL’s new year.
They’re just the team that has done the most work in the trenches after a 5-12 season, the sixth time in the last 11 years they finished last in the division.
The Bears have been so busy, they caught the attention of Amon-Ra St. Brown, the All-Pro Detroit Lions wide receiver who came off as something between envious and impressed at all the work that has been done for first-year Bears coach Ben Johnson, the former Lions offensive coordinator.
“I feel like the Bears have unlimited f—ing money,” St. Brown said on the podcast he cohosts with his brother Equanimeous, a former Bears receiver. “This s— is crazy. They’re just signing new s— for like $40 (million), $50 million. Joe Thuney, boom. Jonah Jackson, bang. Drew Dalman, bang. Dayo Odeyingbo, another crazy amount of money. Grady Jarrett, bang.
“They’re just breaking everybody off. They have unlimited money. What the f— is this? Ben is just making moves left and right.”
It’s the busiest start to the offseason in a while for the Bears, which says something. When you’ve been shackled by mediocrity for so long, it stands to reason you’ll try everything possible to upgrade the roster.
In 2018, Matt Nagy’s first year, the Bears persuaded defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to stick around, re-signed cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara and brought in wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel and tight end Trey Burton. Then they pulled off a blockbuster trade for edge rusher Khalil Mack just before the season opener. In a storybook regular season, they cruised to their only division title since 2010.
With Thuney and Jackson at guard and Dalman at center, the offensive line has been overhauled. Jarrett and Odeyingbo fortify a defensive front that was lacking. With three draft picks in the first 41 selections next month, general manager Ryan Poles probably isn’t done building up front either.
The Bears were inadequate last season rushing the passer, stopping the run and protecting quarterback Caleb Williams. They aren’t so much keeping up with the Joneses in the division as they’re trying to catch up with them.
- The Minnesota Vikings focused their resources along the lines too. They signed a pair of veteran defensive tackles cut by other teams: Jonathan Allen (three years, $51 million) and Javon Hargrave (two years, $30 million). On offense, they signed guard Will Fries to a five-year, $88 million contract and center Ryan Kelly to a two-year, $18 million deal, hoping to stabilize the interior of a line anchored by talented tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill — assuming Darrisaw makes it back from a knee injury. As insurance, the Vikings also added veteran swing tackle Justin Skule.
- The Green Bay Packers signed one of the top guards on the market, landing Aaron Banks on a four-year, $77 million contract. Banks, the highest-paid lineman on the roster, is projected to play left guard with versatile Elgton Jenkins sliding to center.
- The Lions re-signed defensive end Marcus Davenport after he missed all but two games last season and brought in nose tackle Roy Lopez, fortifying a defensive front that was wracked by injuries last season.
The Bears approached the new league year with a ton of salary-cap flexibility, allowing them to trade for Thuney and Jackson, the latter of whom they have extended through 2028 so they have more control. Then they pounced on Jarrett after the Atlanta Falcons released him and added Dalman and Odeyingbo in free agency.
Typically the Bears have signed players with larger contracts to deals that are mostly flat in terms of the annual cap hit. It’s a prudent way to manage the cap and avoid having a spike in future years that forces a difficult decision. For instance, defensive end Montez Sweat has a $25.085 million cap hit for the next three seasons, cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s cap number is $21 million each year through 2027 and wide receiver DJ Moore has just a little bit of fluctuation between $24.5 million and $28.5 million through 2029.
Dalman’s cap hit is mostly flat for the next three seasons, but Odeyingbo and Jarrett have structures with lower Year 1 hits to create flexibility. Odeyingbo will count $8 million versus the cap this season, and the number jumps to $20 million in 2026. Jarrett has a $5.4 million cap number for 2025 that rises to $17.4 million the next season.
The Bears likely wanted to remain nimble in the marketplace, and by choosing this different strategy, contract negotiator Matt Feinstein was able to keep their options open — while capturing the attention of St. Brown with so many big deals.
It’s certainly not a situation where the Bears have “unlimited money,” as St. Brown said. That would be revelatory to Chairman George McCaskey. Reality is the team likely is nearing its cash budget, which is probably more significant than cap space.
Remaining major moves could be a contract extension for nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon and an extension for Thuney, who is signed only through this season. The big signings probably are done, but Poles has proved he isn’t shy about making aggressive moves.
The Bears also added shifty slot receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and tight end Durham Smythe. Internally, they re-signed cornerback Josh Blackwell and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga to two-year contracts and long snapper Scott Daly and tight end Stephen Carlson to one-year deals. They tendered a contract to defensive tackle Chris Williams, a restricted free agent, and are retaining defensive end Daniel Hardy and guard Bill Murray, both exclusive-rights free agents.
The pressing needs on the roster have been filled. There could be a slow trickle of additions over the next couple of weeks as the market settles and the Bears seek players to add competition. Maybe they’ll shop for a safety to add depth. Another wide receiver is a possibility.
The big additions to come should be via the draft. That will be the next chance for Johnson and the Bears to impress St. Brown.
