The week before free agency can be hectic for NFL teams as they trim salary cap dollars and make general plans for the frenzy of the following week. The Chicago Bears seemingly knew it was coming, based on a piece of subsequent news, but everyone else was caught off guard by the news that Bears center Drew Dalman has informed the team he is retiring at the age of 27.
Dalman was one year into the three-year, $42 million contract he signed with the Bears last offseason. His decision to call it a career was not based on lackluster performance or any known significant injury he had been dealing with, quite the opposite on the first front, but there's something to be said for making that kind of decision on your own terms.
While everyone at Halas Hall is surely disappointed about Dalman's decision to retire, now there's a significant piece of offseason business added to the agenda, and there's no time to waste on that front. The Bears should now be significant players in the free agent market at center, and the recently released Tyler Biadasz was quickly lined up for a visit after the news of Dalman's retirement came out.
How does Drew Dalman's retirement impact the Bears' salary cap situation?
Of course, the business side of Dalman's retirement immediately lands in the Bears' laps. So how does his decision impact their balance sheet in 2026 and/or beyond?
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap has quickly authored a piece looking at just that, but the most pertinent details are these (h/t to Aaron Leming of Windy City Gridiron).
-$10 million in 2026 cap space
-$4 million left behind in dead money (remaining prorated signing bonus)
- The remaining $4 million of Dalman's $6 million signing bonus can and likely will be “clawed back” and returned as a $4 million cap credit for 2027
- The Bears will place Dalman on the Reserve/Retired List, and they will retain his rights
$9.5 million of Dalman's 2026 base salary was already guaranteed, with the remaining $1.5 million set to have become guaranteed on March 13 (according to Over The Cap). But as Fitzgerald and ESPN's Courtney Cronin wrote, his retirement can (and will) void that guarantee once he's on the Reserved/Retired List. That leaves the Bears responsible for only the aforementioned prorated remainder of his signing bonus.
Read more: New buzz confirms how a notable Bears free agent could be left holding the bag
Dalman's sudden retirement leaves the Bears with a huge hole to fill on their offensive line. But it will not financially hamper them in their effort to find his replacement on its own, and the implications will not linger on their books as an albatross.