Bears free agency tracker, instant reactions

The NFL’s free agent negotiating window is open. Free agency has unofficially commenced. Stay up to date with every move related to the Chicago Bears here.

TRANSACTION TRACKER

LAST UPDATED: Mar. 9 — 3:40 p.m.

Bears acquisitions | Headed elsewhere | Targets | F.A.Qs

Acquisitions & reactions

Effective Cap Space: $21,892,567*

*does not include March 9th signings.

CASE KEENUM

• [Mar. 9 – 3:08 p.m.] CASE KEENUM is signing a two-year, $5.5 million deal worth up to $8 million with the BEARS.

Patrick Norton: That’s a $500,000 raise annually for a third-string quarterback. Makes you wonder if this might mean something for backup quarterback Tyson Bagent’s future with the Bears. Keenum’s been a big influence for Caleb Williams in the locker room but it’s tough to ignore what this could mean for the quarterbacks room.

Adam Jahns: The first thing I thought of was what’s next for Tyson Bagent. The QB market is still shaking out across the league. Will some team need Bagent? Can the Bears get a Day 2 pick? Keenum played an essential role in Caleb Williams’ development last season. But he’s also insurance if the Bears get an offer they can’t refuse for Bagent.

DEVIN BUSH

• [Mar. 9 – 1:37 p.m.] DEVIN BUSH is signing a three-year, $30 million deal ($21 million guaranteed) with the BEARS.

Adam Jahns: Speed is what the Bears wanted and speed is what the Bears got in Bush. He ran the 40 in 4.43 seconds at the scouting combine in 2019. That was a long time ago. But he’s coming off the best season. of his career. Bush set new highs with 125 tackles and three interceptions – including two pick-sixes – for the Browns in 2025.

Patrick Norton: Ryan Poles said at the NFL Combine that a big goal this offseason was to “improve our defensive speed overall.” Bush, 27, does that. It’s also notable that the first three of the Bears’ signings are on the defensive side of the ball. Lots of gaps to fill still but these deals are more than just improving in the margins.

Adam Hoge: Devin Bush is actually only two months younger than Tremaine Edmunds, but he has fewer miles on him and is significantly faster. He’s also cheaper than what the Bears would have had to pay Edmunds in 2026. Signing Bush should allow T.J. Edwards to stay at MIKE with the green dot with D’Marco Jackson at SAM. Don’t be surprised if Ruben Hyppolite II still gets the chance to push Jackson at the SAM linebacker position. The Bears have not given up on him.

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COBY BRYANT

• [Mar. 9 – 12:22 p.m.] COBY BRYANT is signing a three-year, $40 million deal with the BEARS.

Patrick Norton: Is this a replacement for Kevin Byard III? For Jaquan Brisker? Both? Regardless of the plan for 2026, Bryant, 26, is a younger player with decent ball-hawking skills, intercepting four passes for the Seahawks last season. It’s a big-time investment and the Bears’ first big splash of free agency but certainly at a position of need.

Adam Jahns: We’ll learn soon enough if Bryant’s arrival means the end of Kevin Byard’s time in Chicago. But Bryant is a young, ascending player who entered the league as a cornerback. Bryant’s career took off in 2024 after a full shift to safety under coach Mike McDonald. Bryant, a fourth-round pick in 2022, made seven interceptions over the past two seasons. Adding a player who just won a Super Bowl helps, too.

Adam Hoge: Coby Bryant brings speed and a knack for finding the football to the Bears. That’s exactly what secondary coach Al Harris is looking for in the secondary. The scheme difference will be interesting as Dennis Allen plays more man, but Bryant is versatile and will have a Super Bowl ring to show off in the locker room.

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NEVILLE GALLIMORE

• [Mar. 9 – 11:51 a.m.] NEVILLE GALLIMORE is signing a two-year, $12 million deal with the BEARS.

Adam Jahns: The expectation is that Gallimore will improve the interior of the Bears’ defensive line, particularly their pass rush. The Bears still have Grady Jarrett under contract. But Gallimore set career highs with 3 1/2 sacks, six QB hits and 38 tackles last season for the Colts. It also included a career-high eight starts in 17 games.

Patrick Norton: Gallimore is stronger in the pass rush than you might think. He picked up 3.5 sacks on a revamped Colts defensive line last season. And he bolsters a lackluster run defense for the Bears that allowed the sixth most rushing yards in the league a year ago (2,287).

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D’MARCO JACKSON

• [Mar. 9 – 6:38 a.m.] D’MARCO JACKSON re-signs with BEARS on two-year contract worth $7.5 million (up to $10 million).

Adam Hoge: The Bears view D’Marco Jackson as a key depth piece who can spot-start at linebacker and play well on special teams. I’m not sure they view him as a 17-game starter at linebacker, though, so the team probably isn’t done at the position. Jackson brings the speed the Bears need on defense, so locking him in before he hit the open market was a positive development.

Patrick Norton: When given a chance to start due to injuries within the linebacking corps last season, Jackson earned himself NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts against the Browns. Linebacker isn’t priority No. 1 this offseason but after releasing Tremaine Edmunds to create some salary-cap savings, re-signing Jackson is a solid first step at building the room back up.

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DANIEL HARDY

• [Mar. 8 – 5:58 p.m.] DANIEL HARDY re-signs with BEARS on two-year contract worth up to $6 million.

Patrick Norton: Daniel Hardy, 27, gets a much-earned raise, and the Bears lock up a core special-teamer who appeared in 77.9 percent of their special teams snaps and showcased his versatility not only on defense but also on offense last year. Seems like a win-win.

Adam Hoge: Re-signing Daniel Hardy was an underrated priority for the Bears, who knew he’d have an outside market. Hardy finished the 2025 season ranked sixth in special teams tackles (20), but that was by far the most for a defensive lineman. The next closest defensive lineman had 12. His cover ability is rare for his size, and he also showed the ability to play SAM linebacker in Dennis Allen’s scheme, adding to his versatility.

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GARRETT BRADBURY

• [Mar. 6 – 5:07 p.m.] GARRETT BRADBURY acquired via trade from New England Patriots.

Bears receive: Garrett Bradbury

Patriots receive: 2027 fifth-round pick

Adam Jahns: By agreeing to trade for Bradbury, the Bears know now they have a center who is capable of filling the void left by Drew Dalman. They won’t leave free agency empty-ended and in a panic. Bradbury is smart, experienced and durable. He just played a role in the development of quarterback Drake Maye, too.

Patrick Norton: Bradbury will count for $5.7 million against the cap in 2026, and while he might not bring the same level of play as Drew Dalman, the extra few million the Bears will save against the cap can go a long way in making some critical additions along the defensive line or to the currently non-existent safeties group.

Mark Carman: Garrett Bradbury, come on down. Feels like a reasonable play by the Bears, who, suddenly and seemingly, have all the needs. Ben Johnson knows him well and Bradbury knows the division well. Bradbury also knows what it is like to partner with a young quarterback and get to the Super Bowl in one year’s time. That works.

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2025 Bears headed elsewhere

TREMAINE EDMUNDS

• [Mar. 9 – 2:14 p.m.] TREMAINE EDMUNDS is signing a three-year, $36 million deal with the NEW YORK GIANTS.

Adam Hoge: If the Giants are paying Edmunds this much, why didn’t they just trade a late-round draft pick to the Bears to have him for one-year and $15 million? This contract is a little surprising for a good but aging linebacker. I’d rather have Devin Bush for cheaper.

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DOMINIQUE ROBINSON

• [Mar. 9 – 2:04 p.m.] DOMINIQUE ROBINSON is signing a one-year deal with the HOUSTON TEXANS.

Former Bears DE Dominique Robinson is headed to Houston on a one-year deal worth up to $4M.

Adam Schefter, ESPN

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OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS

• [Mar. 9 – 11:05 a.m.] OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS is signing with the ATLANTA FALCONS.

Adam Hoge: OZ was a solid player who could play every wide receiver position in Ben Johnson’s offense, and he came up with some big catches, including a diving touchdown along the sideline against the Packers. But Zaccheaus also dealt with drops at times and slowly lost snaps to Luther Burden. Jahdae Walker is also a young player who will benefit as the Bears go younger at receiver.

Patrick Norton: Zaccheaus actually had a little resurgence toward the end of the season as the Bears managed several injuries in the receivers room. But Luther Burden’s emergence as a top-notch target for Caleb Williams made Zaccheaus expendable coming into the offseason. I’d still expect the Bears to add to the room a bit, both in free agency and in the draft.

Adam Jahns: It’s not surprising that the Bears are moving on from Zaccheaus. His success in training camp didn’t carry over into the regular season. There were more drops than memorable moments. Luther Burden III also emerged as a threat as the weeks added up.

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Targets headed elsewhere

JAELAN PHILLIPS

• [Mar. 9 – 11:41 a.m.] JAELAN PHILLIPS is signing a four-year, $120 million deal with the CAROLINA PANTHERS.

The #Bears are signing DT Neville Gallimore to a two-year, $12M deal, sources tell The Insiders. Deal negotiated by @LIFTSPORTSMNGMT.

Ian Rapoport, NFL Network

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ALEX ANZALONE

• [Mar. 9 – 12:14 p.m.] ALEX ANZALONE is signing a two-year deal with the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS.

Source: Former Lions LB Alex Anzalone is signing a two-year, $17 million deal with the Buccaneers.

Adam Schefter, ESPN

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Possible targets

DEFENSIVE LINE

• A.J. Epenesa, 27, Edge
2025: 16 games, 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions

• Trey Hendrickson, 31, Edge
2025: 7 games, 4.0 sacks, 8 QB hits

• Cameron Jordan, 36, Edge
2025: 17 games, 10.5 sacks, 15 QB hits

• Roy Lopez, 28, DT
2025: 17 games, 2.0 sacks, 30 tackles

Linebacker

• Alex Anzalone, 31
2025: 16 games, 2.5 sacks, 1 interception

• Nakobe Dean, 25
2025: 10 games, 4.0 sacks, 55 tackles

OFFENSIVE LINE

• Taylor Decker, 32, T
2025: 894 snaps, 5 penalties, 2 sacks allowed, 33 pressures allowed

• Braxton Jones, 26, T
2025: 210 snaps, 1 penalty, 2 sacks allowed, 15 pressures allowed

• Cornelius Lucas, 34, T
2025: 293 snaps, 4 penalties, 3 sacks allowed, 29 pressures allowed

• Dillon Radunz, 27, IOL
2025: 699 snaps, 8 penalties, 1 sack allowed, 23 pressures allowed

Defensive Back

• Reed Blankenship, 27, S
2025: 16 games, 1 interception, 4 passes defended

• Jaquan Brisker, 26, S
2025: 17 games, 1 interception, 1 sack

• Kevin Byard III, 32, S
2025: 17 games, 7 interceptions, first-team All-Pro

• Josh Jobe, 27, CB
2025: 16 games, 1 interception, 12 passes defended

• Alontae Taylor, 27, CB
2025: 17 games, 2 interceptions, 2.0 sacks

WIDE RECEIVER

• TuTu Atwell, 26
2025: 10 games, 6 receptions, 192 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

• Jalen Tolbert, 27
2025: 13 games, 18 receptions, 203 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

• Olamide Zaccheaus, 28
2025: 16 games, 39 receptions, 313 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

BEARS TRANSACTIONS

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F.A.Qs

What is the legal tampering period?

The new league year doesn’t begin until 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11. Officially, free agency does not begin until the league year begins. Between Monday, March 9, at 11 a.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m. is what the NFL refers to as the “free agent negotiating window” and what is widely referred to as the “legal tampering period,” which allows teams to negotiate deals with player representatives.

Prior to 2026, teams could not contact free agents directly,and free agents could not visit team facilities during this period. Following a rule change in 2025, teams are now permitted to make five calls (video or audio only) lasting up to one hour directly with a player during the negotiating window.

What is effective cap space?

Effective cap space is the portion of the team’s cap space the team can use on free agents and in trades. With rosters in flux and expanded to 90, from the start of the league year until Week 1 of the regular season, only the 51 most expensive contracts count against the team’s salary cap. Effective cap space subtracts the top-51 figure, the projected money required to sign the team’s upcoming draft class, and other variables like “dead money” from the league’s base salary cap.

The league’s base salary cap for 2025 is $301,200,000.

Per salary-cap tracking site Over The Cap, the Bears have $21,892,567 in effective cap space*. Ryan Poles could opt to restructure some of the contracts already on the books to open up more space. Converting base salary into signing bonuses would allow money to become prorated over time, creating more dead cap in the future but freeing up space in the present.

* as of Sun. Mar. 8, 4 p.m.

What is “dead Money”?

Dead money is a charge on a team’s salary cap for a player who is no longer on the roster. If a player has some sort of signing bonus proration and is traded before that bonus is paid out, or if a player has guaranteed money left on his contract and is released, that money is referred to as “dead” on the cap. It still exists against the cap.

Bears dead money: $19,355,493