The Chicago Bears may have failed to achieve much success in the last few years, but one can't accuse Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus of having cheaped out. They spent a ton of money, including spending close to five figures to sign linebacker Tremaine Edmunds away from the Buffalo Bills.
While Edmunds hasn't exactly played like the next Mike Singletary, he has provided quality starting linebacker play at the heart of a defense that was far from the biggest problem Chicago had in the last few years. Despite that fact, there are some major questions about the validity of leaning on him as a defensive cornerstone.
Bleacher Report listed Edmunds' contract of four years and $72 million as the fifth-worst contract in all of football. Of the four players ranked ahead of him, three of them are quarterbacks (Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa), and none of them are on the defensive side of the ball.
PFF named Bears' Tremaine Edmunds as worst defensive contract in NFL
Pro Football Focus is not a fan of Edmuds at all, rating him as an average linebacker with a 59.2 overall grade and a coverage grade that comes in a firm 110th best out of 189 linebackers. However, his tape shows that he can make up for coverage issues with some terrific run-stuffing and playmaking in between the tackles.
Alongside TJ Edwards, who parlayed his UDFA shot with the Philadelphia Eagles into another big contract with the Bears, Chicago has constructed one of the best linebacker duos in the NFC. With Ben Johnson's specialty coming on the offensive side of the ball, getting two locked-in starters could help him sleep a bit easier.
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Edmunds can be released by the Bears after this season with a minimal dead cap hit. Unlike some of the contracts on this list, Edmunds' deal can actually be worked around if the front office wants to peel off this Band-Aid. How is that in any way a debilitating deal?
The Bears are in a position to make a postseason run, and Edmunds' leadership on the defensive end is worth paying a semi-premium price for. However, if he struggles in 2025 and proves B/R's skepticism about his contract valid, look for the Bears to very cleanly break off and move on with someone else in his spot.