When it comes to determining the Chicago Bears' worst contract, edge rusher Montez Sweat and tight end Cole Kmet seem to be the most popular names. But neither of those players may be the answer. In fact, it may be someone who has not even played a snap with the Bears yet.
Nick Halden of Da Windy City has zeroed in on Chicago free-agent signing Grady Jarrett's deal as one that is particularly alarming.
While Halden likes Jarrett as a player, he wonders if the 32-year-old is declining to the point where the three-year, $42.75 million contract the Bears handed him will actually be worth it.
"The obvious counter to this would be pointing out that Jarrett has spent much of the last two seasons dealing with an injury. One that forced the Falcons to release the interior defender and allowed Chicago the chance to sign him," Halden wrote. "All of this adds up to plenty of reason for Bears fans to believe that the team overpaid for a veteran leader."
Jarrett actually did play in all 17 games last season, but the previous year, he suffered a torn ACL midway through the campaign. He managed 53 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2024, registering a 62.1 overall grade at Pro Football Focus.
There was a time when Jarrett was one of the best interior defenders in football. He made back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances in 2019 and 2020, also earning a Second-Team All-Pro selection during the former year.
However, the Clemson product has obviously declined since then, making the Bears' multi-year pact for him pretty risky. That's especially considering Chicago handed him $28.5 million in guaranteed money.
A one or two-year contract certainly would have been a better route to go, but we'll see if Jarrett can prove his doubters wrong.
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