It didn’t take long for the Bears to find their new center.
Friday, they agreed to deal a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft for the Patriots’ Garrett Bradbury, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times. Bradbury started all 17 games in his lone season with the AFC champions after serving as the Vikings’ starting center for the first six years of his career.
The trade can’t be processed until the first day of the league year Wednesday.
Bradbury will take the place of center Drew Dalman, whom the team put on the reserve/retired list Friday after deciding earlier this week to retire.
Bradbury was the Vikings’ first round pick in 2019, having been selected 18th overall out of N.C. State, the same alma mater as left guard Joe Thuney
Bradbury, who turns 31 in June, is entering the second year of a two-year, $9.6 million contract he signed with the Patriots a year ago. He commands a $6.9 million salary cap hit.