The Chicago Bears are probably doing free agency right when one of their most expensive additions lands the title of the team’s worst-compensated player after his first year on the roster.
That is the case for Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, who joined the franchise one offseason past on a three-year contract that came in shy of $20 million total.
“Unrestricted free agents get such premiums that it’s rare to see a free-agent signing on a list like this, but the 27-year-old really did outperform his three-year, $19.5 million deal with 155 tackles, three interceptions and 2.5 sacks in 2023,” Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report wrote on April 12 after dubbing Edwards’ Chicago’s “most underpaid player.”
As of Friday, Spotrac projected Edwards’ market value at nearly $12 million annually over a new four-year deal (approximately $48 million total). Based on annual average salary, that projection is nearly twice what the linebacker will actually earn if he plays out the entirety of his three-year deal with Chicago and earns its maximum value.
Bears’ T.J. Edwards Among NFL’s Top Linebackers in 2023
The closer a look one takes, the better the Edwards’ deal appears for the Bears.
He will turn just 28 years old in early August, approximately one month ahead of the start of the 2024 regular season, and is only under contract through his age-29 year. Edwards has just five NFL campaigns of work under his belt, meaning the tread on his proverbial tires is relatively light, and has missed only five of a potential 83 regular-season games over the course of his career, which means he has a propensity for staying healthy.
Beyond that, Edwards wasn’t just good in terms of traditional statistics. He was also among the league’s best linebackers based on advanced metrics.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked Edwards the 11th-best LB out of 82 players who saw enough snaps to qualify at the position. PFF also rates him as an incredibly well-rounded inside linebacker, with grades between 74.5-76.5 across all categories including pass-rush, run defensive and coverage.
Edwards, an undrafted player who got his NFL start in 2019 as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, was a leader on a Bears defense that improved as last season wore on and could well prove itself a playoff-caliber unit during the 2024 campaign if it maintains its current trajectory.
Bears Should Land More Talent on Favorable Contracts in NFL Draft, Including Potentially QB Caleb Williams
Super Bowl windows open often wider and more quickly for teams that can secure several quality players at contracts below what their market value would otherwise be. Edwards was one such player in 2023, and Chicago could land another couple in the first nine picks of the upcoming NFL draft.
The Bears own pick Nos. 1 and 9 later this month. USC quarterback Caleb Williams is their likely choice with the top pick, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., and his ceiling is one of the best signal-callers in the league while he’s still playing on a rookie contract over the next four years.
“Justin Fields is gone, and Williams is the clear best quarterback in this class,” Kiper wrote on April 10. “Williams is a supreme talent with top-tier arm strength, accuracy and improvisational skills in and outside the pocket.”
There is considerably more variance for Chicago’s 9th selection, which the team could trade in an attempt to move up for a player like wideout Marvin Harrison Jr., or deal to move back and accumulate picks. Of course, the Bears could also stand pat and draft an pass rusher or perhaps receiver Rome Odunze, if he remains on the board.
“Chicago doesn’t have a second-round pick … so it has to add a high-ceiling starter with the No. 9 selection,” Kiper continued. “The question is: Will it go with help for Williams on offense or an edge rusher to play on the other side of [Montez] Sweat?”
In any case, the Bears are likely to land another high-end talent (if not multiple) on a rookie contract he will project to outplay — a good omen for a team hungry to compete for a Super Bowl.
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