The Chicago Bears will give Buffalo Bills free agent Tremaine Edmunds a four-year, $72 million contract with $50 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It’s the largest four-year contract for an inside linebacker in the NFL.
Edmunds is the second starting quarterback the Bears added on Monday. Earlier in the day, the Bears agreed to a three-year contract with Philadelphia Eagles free agent TJ Edwards worth $19.5 million, including $12 million in guaranteed money, a source told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
The Bears also made a move to bolster the offensive line by agreeing to a three-year contract with Tennessee Titans free agent quarterback Nate Davis, an ESPN source confirmed to the NFL Network report.
In Edmund’s five years with the Bills, the linebacker became one of the defense’s leaders and key players. He was the jump starter, starting all 74 regular season games and eight postseason games.
The 16th overall pick out of Virginia Tech in the 2018 NFL Draft — after the Bills traded up to select quarterback Josh Allen at No. 7 — Edmunds turns just 25 in May despite playing five NFL seasons.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection had more than 100 tackles in each season he played. Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has talked about wanting to see Edmunds play more. Edmund has 5 interceptions, 35 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 6.5 sacks in his career.
Edmunds has improved in pass coverage with his route awareness and ability to get deep as a zone defender. He’s a long, 6-foot-5 linebacker with low speed against the run and second-rate range to control the ball.
In 2022, he played in 13 games, missing time with injuries, but coach Sean McDermott was impressed with the season he put together, calling it “his best year” and noting how he has grown as a leader and in his performance.
Edmunds has been responsible for distributing the play calls on the defensive side of the ball and has been named a defensive captain in each of the last four seasons.
Davis, 26, started 54 games at right guard for the Titans over the past four seasons, including 12 games in 2022 before an ankle injury landed him on injured reserve in December. His 93.2% pass percentage was the highest among Tennessee offensive linemen, and he had a 68.8% run block percentage.
Davis, who made his first career start in Week 5 of his rookie season after being selected in the third round of the 2019 draft, can get on the block or go up in zone schemes, and he can anchor tough rushers. pass protection.
He started all 16 games in his second season, helping to pave the way for Derrick Henry to become the eighth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 or more yards. He returned in 2021 to start 14 games at right guard as the Titans finished with a 12-5 record and the top seed in the AFC.
ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, Turron Davenport and Matt Bowen contributed to this report.
