ESPN thinks Ryan Poles rushed into a bad decision when it comes to one of the Bears' biggest free agent additions
The Chicago Bears had quite the first day of legal tampering on Monday, throwing tons of money out to free agent additions in the trenches, and for good reason.The offensive and defensive lines needed to be overhauled. The Bears started things off landing everyone's favorite target in center Drew Dalman, and even got him for […]
The Chicago Bears had quite the first day of legal tampering on Monday, throwing tons of money out to free agent additions in the trenches, and for good reason.
The offensive and defensive lines needed to be overhauled. The Bears started things off landing everyone's favorite target in center Drew Dalman, and even got him for a solid deal. Then, the front office made two splashes on the defensive line in ascending edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo and recently released veteran DT Grady Jarrett.
Based on Odeyingbo's market expectation, the Bears signed the 25-year-old for a great price, saying Dennis Allen can help finally unlock his potential as a full-time starter. As for Jarrett, the deal seems like an overpay for the veteran leader and it doesn't seem like everyone is on board with the signing either.
Let me first preface that the addition isn't a bad move, but the cost of the addition is the problem. The Bears needed some veteran depth in the interior of the defensive front and Jarrett provides that, but so did other cheaper options out there.
Jarrett's deal with the Bears is expected to be a 3-year $43.5 million deal which will include $28.5 million fully guaranteed. That's a big deal for a player who's past his prime and will 32-year-old by the time the season comes around.
For context, Sebastian Joseph-Day (my ideal target for the position), signed soon after Jarrett, returning to Tennessee on a one-year deal worth up to $7.5 million and will just turn 30 later this month. And he's a much better run defender than Jarrett.
It doesn't seem like I'm alone in my disappointment for this signing. ESPN's Seth Walder graded the move as a D and believes the Bears are paying for the player Jarrett WAS, not the player he IS NOW.
"The Bears know they're getting the 2025 (and 2026) version of Jarrett and not, like, 2020 Jarrett, right? He has long been a favorite player of mine, and from 2018 to 2020 or so, he was very much in the mix for the best DT not named Aaron Donald. But Jarrett has aged since then, and those times are long gone… It's not just Jarrett's age-32 season the Bears are signing; this deal ensures they're signed up for his age-33 season, too." – ESPN's Seth Walder
It's hard not to feel the same way about this signing. Is Jarrett still a serviceable player? Yes. But he's certainly not worth that kind of price which is exactly why the Falcons moved on from their long-term defensive leader in the first place.
Now, he's still going to have an impact in Chicago. Dennis Allen wanted this guy for a reason and he's going to be placed in a big role on the interior rotation alongside Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings.
Let's just hope his production and impact in the locker room proves to be worth the price tag. If not, the Bears will be wishing they rolled with a different veteran DT.
