Bear Digest

Chicago Bears free agency move ranked among worst NFL signings of 2025

The Chicago Bears have been lauded for having a fantastic 2025 free agency period, but one signing was recently named among the worst offseason values.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has been the toast of the town after what many analysts considered a wildly successful 2025 NFL offseason. Poles added three new starters to the offensive line in Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman, and beefed up the defensive line with Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo.

But one of those moves recently cracked Sports Illustrated's list of the worst value contracts in 2025 free agency: Grady Jarrett.

"Jarrett is in his age-31 season and his production has declined the past few years," SI's Gilberto Manzano wrote. "It made very little sense for the Bears to pay him like an every-down starter and offer him $27.25 million guaranteed at signing knowing there’s a strong chance he’ll be a quality rotational player for them."

While it's true that Jarrett isn't quite the player he once was, and, yes, he'll be in more of a rotational role than he experienced with the Atlanta Falcons, it's also true that his average annual salary ranks 21st among defensive tackles entering the 2025 season.

Atlanta Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett (97) celebrates after a sack
Brett Davis-Imagn Images

That seems like great value for a player with Jarrett's resume, which includes two Pro Bowl seasons and 137 starts over the last 10 years.

And remember: the Bears aren't just paying Jarrett for his on-field production; he'll also serve as a critical tone-setter in the locker room as new coach Ben Johnson attempts to rebuild what it means to be a Chicago Bears player in 2025.

Jarrett returned to action in 2024 after tearing his ACL halfway through the 2023 season. He returned in 2024 to start all 17 games, finishing with 53 tackles and 2.5 sacks. While last season did result in the worst Pro Football Focus grade of his career (62.1), he was able to prove that his knee injury is behind him.

With players usually returning to peak form two years post-injury, Grady Jarrett could be primed for a bounce-back season. In fact, it could be the kind of year that lives up to the contract he signed with the Chicago Bears, silencing critics who believe his best football is behind him.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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