When the Chicago Bears traded for former New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury, many fans were disappointed. For weeks, it seemed like Chicago was set to enter the sweepstakes for free-agent Tyler Linderbaum, the top available interior offensive lineman. Instead, they bowed out early by bringing in a less exciting option.
Linderbaum reportedly agreed to a staggering three-year, $81 million deal on Monday, making him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in the league. At $27 million per year, this contract was clearly enough to outbid other interested teams.
Now, it's clear that the Bears avoided making a massive mistake. The Bradbury trade is already looking a whole lot better.
Raiders' Tyler Linderbaum signing makes Bears' Garrett Bradbury trade look like a steal
Let's be clear: Bradbury and Linderbaum are on completely different levels. There's an argument to be made that the new Raiders signing is the best center in the league, while the Bears' addition is merely an average starter. Without considering cost, Bears fans would rather take Linderbaum every time.
The former Baltimore Ravens star is an excellent pass protector and a strong run blocker. He has been a key piece of the Ravens' offense for years and will be a major upgrade for a Raiders offensive line in need of a boost.
But even if he plays at an elite level in Las Vegas, Linderbaum's contract will likely go down as an overpay. Few players in the league, let alone interior offensive linemen, ever reach $27 million per year. In fact, the deal would make him the highest-paid player on the Bears' roster by a significant margin. That's difficult to justify for a center.
On the other hand, the Bears only had to give up a late-round draft pick to bring Bradbury in. The trade solved one of the most pressing needs on the roster, allowing general manager Ryan Poles to focus on other areas in the early portion of free agency.
Read more: Bears take massive step in solving big problem with Neville Gallimore signing
Sure, it will be frustrating for Bears fans to watch Linderbaum succeed on a different team, knowing that Chicago could have signed him instead. But the deal would have taken up almost all of the Bears' remaining cap space, limiting the roster elsewhere. Now that the final numbers are on the table, it looks like the Bears made the right move by choosing to step out of the Linderbaum sweepstakes before free agency got going.