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The Chicago Bears made several notable moves in the 2025 NFL free agency period, including signing longtime Atlanta Falcons star Grady Jarrett. While signing Jarrett made headlines, it was an “awful value” signing, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder.
The Bears gave Jarrett a three-year, $43.5 million contract shortly after his release from the Falcons. The deal keeps him under contract through his age-34 season, making it a poor decision, according to Walder.
“On the flip side, the Jarrett deal was awful value,” Walder wrote. “They gave him a three-year contract averaging $14.25 million with $28.4 million fully guaranteed, per Roster Management System. That includes a full guarantee on his 2026 base salary when Jarrett, who has been steadily declining, will be 33. Jarrett’s pass rush win rate at defensive tackle has dropped every season from 2019 (22%) to 2024 (9%), and he suffered a torn ACL in 2023.”
Bears fans were initially split on the signing, with some appreciating the value Jarrett added to the team’s defensive front, while others disliked his contract. Chicago ranked as one of the bottom-10 run defenses in 2024, emphasizing its need to add defensive size in the offseason.
Once known as an elite interior pass-rusher, Jarrett has just four total sacks in the last two seasons. He played just eight games in 2023 due to a torn ACL, but returned for all 17 games in 2024.
The Bears took a notable offensive focus in the 2025 offseason, driven by their clear intent to build around Caleb Williams. From their hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach to selecting Colston Loveland and Luther Burden II early in the 2025 NFL Draft, most of the team’s moves were clearly with Williams in mind.
However, the Bears also made several key defensive adjustments, particularly in free agency. In addition to Jarrett, Chicago also signed Dayo Odeyingbo and Nick McCloud. They later added rookies Shemar Turner, Ruben Hyppolite II and Zah Frazier in the draft.
The Bears went just 5-12 in 2024, but are one of the top up-and-coming teams to monitor for the second consecutive season. Opinions on the Jarrett signing may vary, but their offseason otherwise went according to plan, giving them reasonably high expectations for the 2025 season.
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