Bears are looking to make a strategic move that Ryan Poles hinted at with a player many expected not to stay with Chicago
The Chicago Bears are looking to strategically part ways with one of Ryan Poles’ top free agent signings.
The first major offseason move has been put in motion by the Chicago Bears at the NFL Scouting Combine and it’s one general manager Ryan Poles hinted about on Tuesday.
The Bears have put linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on the trade block, giving him the opportunity to find a new home for himself ahead of free agency to see what kind of interest he has from other teams. Edmunds is now set to become the second cap casualty, and second linebacker, the Bears will part ways with after previously releasing Amen Ogbongbemiga.
Edmunds was one of the top free agent signings made by general manager Ryan Poles, signing a four-year, $72 million contract with the team back in 2023. He started 45 games for the Bears over the last three seasons and has one year remaining on his contract. At 27-years-old, he should still have plenty of suitors interested on the trade market.
Bears would get immediate cap relief by moving on from Edmunds, even with a trade
Edmunds’ eventual departure has little to do with his play and more to do with the money owed to him for the 2026 season if he remained on the roster. Edmunds currently has the eighth-highest cap hit on the team at $17,437,500. By releasing or trading him, the Bears save $15 million in cap space but will take on $2,437,500 in dead cap.
Currently, the Bears are around -$3 million in cap space. While a tough decision, moving on the right call for the Bears and giving him the opportunity to seek a trade shows they’re willing to do right by their player while looking to get something in return.
As for impact of potentially losing Edmunds, the Bears would be without a starting linebacker. The team still has T.J. Edwards, who signed a two-year, $20 million extension with the team last offseason, but he is currently recovering from a fractured fibula and will miss the majority of the offseason.
Edmunds and Edwards formed a solid duo at the linebacker position after both arriving to Chicago in 2023. But, it’s clear the new defense under Dennis Allen viewed Edwards in higher regard than Edmunds, who was a more natural-fit in Matt Eberflus’ zone scheme.
Even still, Edmunds started off his 2025 campaign at a Pro Bowl-caliber level after totaling 89 tackles, four interceptions, and nine pass deflections in his first 10 games. Edmunds, however, then suffered a groin injury that forced him to miss four weeks and look like a shell of his former self after returning.
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