Following a season that ended with a loss at home to the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC Divisional Round game in January, the future of Chicago Bears linebacker and former Virginia Tech star Tremaine Edmunds was in doubt.
After finishing his third season with the Bears after inking a four-year, $72 million deal in 2023 with Chicago, Edmunds has been a very good and productive player. This year, despite missing four games, he led the team in tackles with 112. On Wednesday, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that Chicago has given Edmunds permission to seek a trade.
The Chicago Bears appear to be cutting ties with Tremaine Edmunds
Edmunds is under contract for one more season for $15 million, according to Biggs. Edmunds had two really good seasons in Chicago, and after a coachign shake up, he had a really good 2025 season, which saw him in a three-game stretch record 10-plus tackles in late September and early October. He had 15 tackles in a win over the Dallas Cowboys, 11 in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and 12 in a win over the Washington Commanders.
There were four other games where he finished with nine tackles against the New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, and San Francisco 49ers. In two playoff games, he recorded 13 total tackles against the Green Bay Packers and Rams. Edmunds is a two-time Pro Bowler with the Buffalo Bills after they drafted him in the first round, 16th overall, in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech.
Releasing Edmunds is something that has been floated about by Biggs going back to January. Cutting ties with him opens up some much-needed salary cap space for the Bears, but now Chicago is hoping Edmunds can find a trade that works best for both him and the team. If he hits the open market, he'll be heavily coveted by several teams.