Exclusive Rights Free Agents Retained

The Bears did the equivalent of house keeping before the start of free agency on Tuesday by tendering contracts to tight end Jesper Horsted, center Sam Mustipher and tackle Lachavious Simmons.

All three are exclusive rights free agents, meaning the Bears retained their exclusive rights simply by tendering minimum offers to the three.

Mustipher is not your typical exclusive rights free agent. He has started 24 games in two seasons. Most exclusive rights free agents are backups or backups to backups.

The Notre Dame product added more than 20 pounds to better anchor the middle and started every game last season.

Horsted has been with the Bears since 2019 but was on the practice squad all of 2020. He has 10 receptions for 108 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games played.

Simmons, their seventh-round draft pick in 2020, is also going into his third season and has played in two games, with one start. He was in for 23 offensive plays and five special teams plays in 2021.

Within the next week the Bears must also tender offers to their restricted free agents or allow them to enter the unrestricted market.

Tight end J.P. Holtz, guard Alex Bars, running back Ryan Nall and safety Teez Tabor are restricted free agents. It's unlikely the Bears would offer any of them tender offers and instead would try to bring them back on negotiated contracts.

The only drafted player in the group is Teez Tabor, who was a second-round pick of the Lions.

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