No NFL team is perfect in any given mode of player acquisition. As strong as the Chicago Bears' 2025 draft class looks one year in, they made a couple of miscalculations when it came to adding veteran pieces last offseason.
The Bears gave defensive linemen Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett each a three-year deal last offseason, with a total of $59.75 million in guaranteed money. Jarrett delivered 1.5 sacks in 14 games, while Odeyingbo was mostly invisible before suffering a torn Achilles in Week 9.
Since three-year NFL contracts typically amount to a two-year commitment, the Bears are pretty much stuck with Jarrett and Odeyingbo for 2026. Any move to part ways would leave behind a large chunk of dead money, with minimal cap savings.
The Bears' most overpaid player is crystal clear
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report has narrowed in on each NFL team's most overpaid player following the peak of 2026 free agency. For the Bears, he chose Odeyingbo.
"The Bears gave Odeyingbo a three-year, $48 million deal last offseason in hopes that he'd take another step forward after back-to-back promising campaigns in Indy. But he struggled in his first eight games, registering just one sack and two tackles for loss before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Week 9. Far from ideal for a guy who will count $20.5 million against the cap in 2026."
After being on the ground at the Super Bowl in February and having some conversations there, Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron pointed to a potential path forward for the Bears with Odeyingbo.
"I think if the Bears can get an injury settlement with Dayo Odeyingbo, they will do that and get him off the roster. He didn’t play well last year. Who knows how much he’s going to play in 2026? Whatever he does play, he’s going to be compromised coming off that injury, and he has no guaranteed money in 2027. It makes very little sense to keep him, but that depends on what they can accomplish, since he has plenty of guaranteed money coming his way in 2026."
With the guaranteed money he has coming this year, an injury settlement with Odeyingbo could be a tough thing for the Bears to navigate. That said, he has no guaranteed money in 2027, and there's a case for just ripping the proverbial band-aid off and moving on if it's plausible.
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The Bears' mistake with Odeyingbo showed itself very quickly, before a significant injury shortened his first season with the team. It's an undeniable, unavoidable fact he is the most overpaid player on the team.