ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Chicago Bears are releasing LB Tremaine Edmunds. Edmunds was entering the final year of a four year, $72 million contract that was signed in 2023 during free agency. Edmunds was the third highest paid off ball linebacker in the NFL at $18 million a year. The Bears will save $15 million with his release and will now be salary cap compliant at the start of the NFL league year when they will remove DJ Moore from the books.

Edmunds release is not a surprise given his salary and the fact that he was entering the final year of his contract. He was the one notable Bear I had projected as a possible cut in our offseason reports due to that and he was number 95 on OTC’s top 100 potential cuts list. Edmunds was set to count for $17.44 million on the cap and will now count for $2.44 million.

With Edmunds release and the upcoming trade of DJ Moore the Bears have shed $39.5 million in salary commitments and gained $31.5 million in cap space. Once the Bears process Drew Dalman’s retirement they will be up to about $33 million in cap room which will rank 12th in the NFL. Their payroll should drop to 26th in the league meaning they should have plenty of resources to be active in free agency and/or the trade market.