Tremaine Edmunds
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 01: Tremaine Edmunds #49 of the Chicago Bears looks on prior to the game against the Denver Broncos at Soldier Field on October 01, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Last week, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune announced that the Chicago Bears have granted linebacker Tremaine Edmunds permission to seek a trade.
“The #Bears have granted permission for LB Tremaine Edmunds to seek a trade, according to a league source. He’s under contract for the ’26 season at $15M. Still young and was Pro Bowl-caliber player thru first 10 games before minor injury. Finished year healthy. Led D in tackles.”
At first glance, this appeared to be a last-ditch effort by the Bears to gain any potential draft capital back for the 27-year-old linebacker, considering he’s entering the final year of his $72 million contract, but according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears have three suitors who are interested.
Three Suitors Interested in Bears Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds
Tremaine Edmunds
GettyTremaine Edmunds #49 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after an interception against the Dallas Cowboys.
Fowler notes that the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Giants are interested in a potential trade for Edmunds.
“One player who has strong trade value and a decent chance to be dealt is Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The Titans, Raiders, and Giants are among the teams interested in high-end linebackers, and they like Edmunds, who’s only 27 despite eight seasons in the league. He was granted permission to seek a trade earlier this week.”
It’s perfect. The Bears likely don’t have to release him now with more than just one suitor interested. All three teams mentioned have a huge need at linebacker, and it’s not like Edmunds is bad, either. He’s one of just two linebackers since 2000 with 900+ tackles and 50+ passes defensed before turning 28. The other LB? Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.
The main reason the Bears want to get Edmunds off the team is to free up $15 million in cap space, as the team is currently operating at a negative $6.5 million cap hit, according to OvertheCap.com.
Ilan
Tremaine Edmunds was a solid player for the Bears. He brought genuine speed and coverage that they needed. He is definitely not worth his cap hit and a somewhat easy decision to move him, but many should not forget the impact he made on this team’s performance and culture
Potential Compensation in Return for Edmunds
Linebackers aren’t usually traded for high-round draft picks, which is one thing, but since there are multiple suitors for Edmunds, the draft capital in return could be a little bit higher than expected.
Rather than receiving just a sixth or seventh-round pick, the Bears could manage to squeeze out a fifth or even fourth-round pick in return. It’s still not a lot, but it’s better than releasing him for nothing.
If a deal were to be done, expect it to happen this week. If not, the Bears have to release Edmunds by March 11th, the first day of the league year.