Did the Chicago Bears and Ryan Poles botch the Larry Ogunjobi situation?

The Chicago Bears and Larry Ogunjobi agreed to a three-year contract

In March, two days before the start of the official 2022 offseason, the Chicago Bears and Larry Ogunjobi agreed to a three-year contract worth $40.5 million. The contract also included $26.35 million in guaranteed money.

This would have made Larry Ogunjobi the 10th-highest defensive tackle in the NFL from an AAV standpoint. Remember how I said that Ogunjobi would need to consistently finish as a top-10 defensive tackle for the next three years to make the decision not to sign him a mistake? This is the main reason why.

Last season, Ogunjobi had the best year of his career from a statistical standpoint. He finished with a career-high seven sacks. He finished with a respectable 49 total combined (29 solos) tackles — including 12 tackles for loss. To be honest, he would have fit in nicely in the Matt Eberflus system. All of that said, not passing his physical was reason enough not to make him the 10th highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL. Prior to last year, he never saw more than 5.5 sacks. There’s good reason to believe last year was Ogunjobi’s ceiling.

Now for the mistake that was made.