Presented with being the best free-agent center on the market during an NFL Free Agency where there were several teams in need of one, there was an expectation that Drew Dalman was going to sign a contract that would place him in the same financial category as Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs and Frank Ragnow of the Detroit Lions.
After signing an extension with the Chiefs last summer, Humphrey is earning $18MM per season. Meanwhile, with the Lions, Ragnow is earning $13.5MM per season.
With the Bears absorbing the contracts of Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney in the respective trades with the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, there was some question as to whether or not the team would be willing to pay a top-of-the-market price for Dalman. The Bears did indeed sign Dalman but the deal was relatively modest.
Dalman inked a three-year deal with the Bears for a total of $42MM. With an AAV of $14MM per season, Dalman now becomes the second-highest-paid center in the NFL ahead of Ragnow. Ragnow is the better center between the two but for where the market was this offseason, there is nothing not to like about Dalman's contract.
NFL Free Agency Grades: Chicago Bears deserve an A for the Drew Dalman signing
Part of the reason for the high grade of the Bears' signing of Dalman is that they not only did the right thing, they did the obvious thing. Ben Johnson's arrival as the Bears' head coach should bring an end to the silly experiment of the team playing offensive linemen out of their normal position. Dalman will presumably be the Bears' center for the next three seasons, with Jackson and Thuney being on each side of him for at least the 2025 season. The revolving door at the center position may finally be closed for the Bears.
The other reason the Bears received the top grade is that they didn't overpay. A three-year deal with Dalman, with an AAV of $14MM per season, isn't cost-prohibitive. The Bears have plenty of space available on the roster to address their other needs.