The Chicago Bears are exploring their options at linebacker.
According to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs (via X), the Bears have given linebacker Tremaine Edmunds permission to seek a trade as the team works through its offseason cap strategy.
Edmunds is under contract for the 2026 season, entering the final year of the four-year, $72 million deal he signed in 2023. But with no guaranteed money remaining on the contract and the Bears needing financial flexibility, this move doesn’t come as a surprise.
From a production standpoint, Edmunds delivered another statistically strong season in 2025. He recorded his eighth straight 100-plus tackle campaign and his third consecutive triple-digit season in Chicago. He also ranked 16th among 93 linebackers with an 81.1 PFF run-defense grade.
But the full picture is more complicated.
Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn ImagesBears Allowing Tremaine Edmunds to Seek Trade Amid Cap Crunch
Despite four interceptions, Edmunds struggled in coverage. He earned a 52.9 PFF coverage grade and allowed 51 receptions for 475 yards on 64 targets, with opposing quarterbacks posting an 87.2 passer rating when throwing his way. Down the stretch, after returning from a late-season groin injury, the issues became more pronounced. From Week 16 through the playoffs, Edmunds surrendered 16 receptions on 16 targets for 161 yards and two touchdowns, with opponents producing a 148.2 passer rating during that stretch.
There were positives. His tackling grades rebounded late in the year, and he played through injury during the Bears’ postseason push. But with Chicago facing cap constraints and multiple defensive needs to address, the financial math may outweigh the on-field value.
Edmunds is scheduled to earn $13.9 million in base salary in 2026, along with roughly $3.54 million in bonuses. A pre-June 1 release would generate approximately $15 million in cap savings while leaving just $2.4375 million in dead money.
Peter van den Berg-Imagn ImagesThe decision to allow Edmunds to seek a trade signals that general manager Ryan Poles is actively exploring ways to create flexibility ahead of free agency and the draft. Whether that results in a trade partner emerging or ultimately leads to a release remains to be seen.
One thing is clear: this is less about performance and more about positioning.
Chicago needs room to maneuver this offseason (particularly along the defensive line and secondary), and Edmunds’ contract represents the cleanest lever to pull.
If this truly is the end of Edmunds’ run in Chicago, it would close a three-year chapter marked by steady production, flashes of playmaking, and a reminder that in today’s NFL, availability and cap structure can matter just as much as tackles.
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