Bears Continue Run of Defensive Contract Extensions With T.J. Edwards Deal

The Wisconsin product has provided Chicago consistently solid play.

T.J. Edwards warms up before a game against the 49ers. / Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

Three days after locking down cornerback Kyler Gordon, the Chicago Bears appear to have secured the services of another key defensive piece.

Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards has agreed to a two-year extension with the franchise worth $20 million, according to a Wednesday evening report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Edwards, 28, is entering his third year with Chicago after signing with the team in March 2023.

Per Rapoport, the deal will guarantee Edwards $16.6 million.

The Wisconsin product—who played the first four years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles—is known first and foremost for his prolific raw tackling numbers.

Sources: The #Bears have paid another key piece of their defense. This time, they lock up LB TJ Edwards on a 2-year, $20M extension with $16.6M fully guaranteed.

The tackling machine earns another done by agent @SteveCaric of @Wasserman. pic.twitter.com/NJSGEro3DU

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 16, 2025

Edwards recorded 159 combined tackles for the Eagles in 2022 and 155 for the Bears in 2023. Both totals ranked seventh in the NFL, and both ranked in the top 100 in NFL history for a single season.

With the Badgers from 2015 to '18, Edwards racked up 367 career total tackles to rank 10th in conference history.

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