Former Buffalo Bills captain and inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is reportedly signing a record-setting four-year, $72 million deal with the Chicago Bears, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday (March 13).
"Bears are giving former Bills’ LB Tremaine Edmunds a 4-yr, $72M that includes $50M guaranteed, per source. It is the largest 4-year contract for an inside linebacker in the NFL," Schefter tweeted.
The deal is the "biggest four-year contract for an off-ball linebacker," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"Teams wondered whether an ILB would get paid big dollars in this market but Edmunds only 24, big size/athleticism and Pro Bowl pedigree," Fowler tweeted.
Edmunds spent his first five seasons with the Bills after being selected at No. 16 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. The former Virginia Tech standout was selected to the Pro Bowl twice (2019, 2020).
Edmunds has recorded more than 100 tackles during each of his first five NFL seasons, which included 102 in 2022, as well as one sack, six tackles for loss, one interception and seven pass deflections. The 24-year-old enters his sixth NFL season with 565 career tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, five interceptions and 35 pass deflections in 74 career appearances.
The Bears have already had an aggressive offseason after finishing with the league's worst record in 2022. Chicago traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver D.J. Moore, two first-round picks -- including the No. 9 overall pick in 2023 -- and two second-round picks last Friday (March 10) and signed free agent linebacker T.J. Edwards three-year, $19.5 million deal.
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