NFL free agency is almost set to begin, and we're keeping track of every major signing, trade and release of the 2025 offseason, with analysis from our NFL Nation reporters and grades from our experts. The new league year begins March 12 at 4 p.m. ET, and free agent signings can then become official. The first round of the 2025 NFL draft begins April 24 on ESPN.
Here's a breakdown of every 2025 NFL free agent signing by the Chicago Bears and how each will impact the upcoming season:
Drew Dalman, C
Dalman's deal is for three years, $42 million, with $28 million guaranteed, per Adam Schefter.
What it means: Ben Johnson successfully flipped the interior of the Bears offensive line in less than a week. Dalman was the top center available in free agency with 40 starts over the past three seasons and had a 95.1% pass block win rate in 2024 (ninth among centers with at least 500 snaps) to go along with 10 pressures allowed on 295 pass-blocking snaps. His best attributes are as a run blocker, which bodes well for the type of offense Johnson aims to carry over from Detroit. The Bears will feature at least three new starters on the offensive line between Dalman and guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, who were traded to Chicago last week. The Bears also own the No. 10 pick in the draft, which could be used to elevate the left tackle position.
What's the risk: Dalman was limited to nine games in 2024 due to a left ankle injury and isn't the ideal fit for the gap schemes that Johnson deploys in the run game due to his relatively small size (6-foot-3, 299 pounds, 32-inch arms). What should help Dalman is the size and strength they're surrounding him with in Thuney (6-5, 304 pounds) and Jackson (6-4, 315 pounds). The type of money the Bears are investing into a center naturally raises some eyebrows, but as a significant position of need to fix Chicago's weakest link up front, the Bears are once again showing they will pay whatever it takes to aid quarterback Caleb Williams' development in Year 2.
Dayo Odeyingbo, DE
Odeyingbo's deal is for three years, $48 million with $32 million guaranteed, according to a source.
What it means: The Bears found their pass rusher to play opposite Montez Sweat. Odeyingbo is young (will be 26 this season), fits the prototype for defensive ends in Dennis Allen's scheme (6-foot-5, 280 pounds with 35-plus inch arms) and could mirror what Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport were earlier in their careers in Allen's New Orleans defenses. Odeyingbo provides great flexibility for coaches with his ability to play on the edge and as an interior pass rusher. His length and size allow him to match up with interior offensive linemen without being at a disadvantage.
What's the risk: Odeyingbo is not a finished product, so his outlook as a full-time starter remains undetermined. Most of his snaps in 61 career games have come as a backup (19 starts), so the Bears did fork over a significant contract to a player who they're betting will achieve the best production of his career in Chicago.
Grady Jarrett, DT
Jarrett's deal is for three years, $43.5 million with $28.5 million guaranteed, per Adam Schefter.
What it means: Chicago is paying big money in the trenches at the start of free agency. Jarrett was released Monday by the Falcons after 10 seasons and quickly found his way to a sizeable payday with the Bears, who gain experience with a proven (second team All-Pro, two-time Pro Bowler) defensive tackle. Jarrett can still threaten quarterbacks as a declining starting three-technique defensive tackle but may fit best as a part-time starter or rotational player. When general manager Ryan Poles recently spoke about how his philosophy for building a defensive line has evolved, his comments appeared to foreshadow this move. "You really need someone to really puncture the pocket from the interior for the exterior to be successful and productive as well," Poles said at the NFL combine. Jarrett did that to the tune of 36.5 career sacks and is now added to the mix with Gervon Dexter Sr. entering his third season and Andrew Billings returning from a season-ending pectoral tear.
What's the risk: Jarrett will turn 32 in April and hasn't been the same player since he tore an ACL in 2023 (four sacks over two seasons). He has been out of his prime for several years but is still an effective, reliable veteran defensive tackle.
Joe Thuney, G
Acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2026 fourth-round pick.
What it means: Chicago's motives reveal two things: One, that the team views the caliber of guards available in free agency as not worth overpaying for, and two, that the Bears are sparing no expense in upgrading the pass protection around Caleb Williams. Thuney is coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons after leading the NFL in pass block win rate at guard in every season since 2021. Thuney is a substantial upgrade at left guard over Teven Jenkins, particularly in terms of availability. Multiple injuries forced Jenkins to miss 22 games over the first four years of his NFL career while Thuney has missed two possible starts over his nine-year NFL career (146 starts).
What's the risk: Chicago gave up a future fourth-round pick for Thuney, who is entering the final year of his contract at 32 years old. That cost isn't exorbitant for arguably the best guard in football, but the Bears are taking on the $16 million Thuney is owed in addition to the entirety of Jonah Jackson's contract for 2025.
Jonah Jackson, G
Acquired from the Los Angeles Rams for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
What it means: The Bears got a jump start on free agency and upgrading their offensive line when they traded for Jackson on March 4. The 28-year-old guard reunites with Bears coach Ben Johnson, who he overlapped with in Detroit from 2020 to 2023 and started 25 games at left guard while Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator (2022-23). The majority of Jackson's 61 NFL starts over five seasons have come at left guard, though he has taken snaps at both center and right guard, which provides Chicago flexibility on where to play him this season.
What's the risk: In his lone season with the Rams in 2024, Jackson posted a career-high 94.7% pass block win rate on 114 pass blocks but was limited to four games because of a shoulder injury he sustained during the first season of a three-year, $51 million contract signed last March. The Bears are taking on the entirety of Jackson's $17.5 million salary for 2025, which includes an $8.5 million roster bonus due on March 14.