Tremaine Edmunds
Getty
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 19: Tremaine Edmunds #49 of the Chicago Bears celebrates a tackle against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on October 19, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
On Thursday, the Chicago Bears made a series of significant moves, with both major transactions surprisingly involving the Buffalo Bills. One of these moves was releasing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bearsare officially parting ways with Edmunds.
“The Bears are releasing former Pro-Bowl LB Tremaine Edmunds, per sources,” Schefter wrote on X. “Edmunds has been a full-time starter in each of his eight NFL seasons, and he now will become a free agent with 900 tackles on his resume.”
Edmunds Played With the Bills For Five Seasons
Buffalo selected Edmunds with the 16th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Over his five seasons with the Bills, he recorded 565 combined tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 32 tackles for loss across 74 games.
In 2023, Edmunds departed from Buffalo and agreed to a four-year deal worth $72 million. Initially, he was expected to have a $17 million cap hit this coming season, but the Bears will save $15 million in cap space by releasing him.
Although Edmunds won’t be finishing his contract with the Bears, he did an outstanding job helping the team become one of the best in the NFL. Over the course of 13 games, he recorded 112 combined tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, and four interceptions this past season.
The Bears likely wanted to retain Edmunds for another season, but his cap hit was too steep for a linebacker. However, he still has something to offer another team. In the latest rankings from Pro Football Focus, he was rated as the 33rd linebacker out of 88, earning a run defense rating of 15th, a pass rush grade of 60th, and an overall grade of 50th this past season.
Buffalo Traded For DJ Moore
The Bills could be considering bringing Edmunds back, which would make him the second player the Bears have given to the Bills in the last few days. Buffalo and Chicago recently made a significant trade ahead of the Bears parting ways with Edmunds. The Bills traded a 2026 second-round pick to the Bears in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Moore is expected to step into Buffalo and bolster the offense alongside quarterback Josh Allen. He could be the crucial piece that has been missing since the Bills traded away Stefon Diggs in 2024.
The Bills are going all in to ensure they don’t fall short in the playoffs again. Even though Moore is coming off a season where he struggled to reach 700 receiving yards in 17 games, he still has plenty to offer.
Moore has recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in four of his eight seasons in the NFL, with his highest recent total coming in 2023 when he amassed 1,364 yards. Although Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had a solid season last year, he isn’t on the same level as quarterback Josh Allen. This will be the first time Moore gets to play alongside a future Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback in his career, even dating back to his days with the Carolina Panthers.