With free agency approaching, the Bears are suddenly in need of a center. Drew Dalman has informed the team he is retiring at the age of 27, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Dalman joined the Bears on a three-year, $42MM contract in free agency last March. The fact that he is walking away from the game 12 months later comes as a shock. Dalman’s retirement could save the Bears upward of $10MM in cap room, Courtney Cronin of ESPN notes, but it’s a brutal blow to their offensive line.
Dalman started all 17 games for the NFC North champions last season. He earned a Pro Bowl nod for the first time and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ seventh-best center out of 37 qualifiers.
Dalman’s agreement with Chicago came after he spent the first four years of his career in Atlanta. The 2021 fourth-round pick from Stanford spent his rookie year as a backup and played just 68 offensive snaps in 17 games. Dalman turned into a full-time starter in his second year and never looked back. Injuries limited him to 23 games from 2023-24, including just nine in the second of those seasons. That didn’t deter Chicago from making Dalman one of the game’s highest-paid centers. Before deciding to hang up his cleats, Dalman ranked top five at his position in total value, yearly salary and guarantees ($28MM).
The Dalman signing was just part of an offseason O-line makeover for the Bears. They also acquired guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson in trades and spent a second-round pick on tackle Ozzy Trapilo. Dalman, Thuney and Jackson joined right tackle Darnell Wright as full-time starters on what PFF ranked as the league’s third-best unit in 2025. Trapilo took the starting left tackle job from Theo Benedet in Week 12, though the rookie went on to suffer a torn patellar tendon in a wild-card round win over the Packers.
After undergoing surgery, Trapilo is expected to miss a sizable chunk of next season. Between Dalman’s retirement and Trapilo’s recovery, the Bears now have serious work to do up front for the second straight offseason.
The Bears may already have a potential Dalman replacement in mind in free agent Tyler Biadasz. The former Cowboy and Commander has lined up a visit with the Bears, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. A one-time Pro Bowler, the 28-year-old has started in 84 of 92 games since the Cowboys used a fourth-rounder on him in 2020. Biadasz started in all 31 appearances with the Commanders over the previous two seasons, but they cut him on Feb. 26. PFF graded Biadasz a respectable 12th at his position last season.
Biadasz is a credible starting option on the open market, but the Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum is the prize among pending free agent centers. While the Ravens have already made Linderbaum a market-topping offer, he is inching closer to the March 9 legal tampering period without a deal. The Bills’ Connor McGovern and the Panthers’ Cade Mays are likely next in the pecking order of unsigned centers. Any of them could land on the radar of Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who unexpectedly needs a starting center heading into the new league year.
Shocking. Hope his health is alright. This changes the landscape for Poles draft this year.
Wow. I tend to assume that any guy who steps away from the game young when he’s gainfully employed is doing what needs to be done for one reason or another. I hope he’s OK. Quite a plot twist for the Bears.
And now, we go back to the PFR tradition of Uncle Mike obsessing over a new Bears answer at center. I didn’t think it would be annual again after last offseason.
Agreed. Unclemike should be in all of thoughts and prayers today, too. It’s quite unexpected.
At least, from Chicago’s perspective, there’s still an opportunity to acquire someone, even if it’s late in the game. They were really counting on Dalman this year, though. There are a few middling options at center right now, like Cushenberry. We’ll see how much they want to invest to try and address this.
I’m not sure what to make of it at all. I mean as far as anybody knows he wasn’t even injured last year. I think( Not sure though) That he might have even played every down. So I guess I’ll wait and see as to what the whole story is before I say much. Definitely leaves a gaping hole.
In fact Bear Wire is reporting that Biadasz is already here for a visit.
Good move to make immediately. They didn’t waste any time, props to Poles or whomever it is that set that up. Whether he ends up signing or not, the decisiveness is good to see.
Somebody still has to explain to me how a guy can retire and still count as having some dead money against the Cap. That’s just another thing that makes me go WTF?
I think that’s usually money that’s already been paid, but that has been pushed over to another year. Someone who understands this better than me (and I know that we have a few) should be able to clear it up better.
So any guarantees, including prorated bonus money, still counts against the cap. The team saves the salary and any future roster boni that the player would presumably account for, but the guarantees or prorated boni would have to still be accounted for.
In Dalman’s case, Chicago saves $10 million in what his salary and roster and whatever presumed activations would cost, but the team has to absorb the $4 million because it’s already been accounted for. The contract spread that to not take the cap hits all at once. That’s why it’s “dead” money, because it’s basically already been invested. The accounting just spread it out past the initial season.
Maybe. But aren’t those bonuses paid AFTER the New year starts and it hasn’t started yet as far as I know. Anyway it makes no sense to me. But whatever.
I think I edited my comment after you posted to hopefully clear some of my wording and add detail. Sorry about that, if it changed anything.
But they could be, or could not be, based on how it’s structured. I think in this case, these are boni already paid? Someone else might be able to help on that.
Unless his contract specifically said he could keep the entire signing bonus if he decided to retire early, I expect the Bears will try to recover a prorated portion if it. I don’t think there would be any salary cap dead money in that case.
Suppose it depends on the circumstances which aren’t totally known yet. If he has a serious illness or something it would be petty to make a thing of it but that makes it all the more curious to me why a guy would pass up the health care and advantages staying would provide. Anyway can’t wait to hear the final story. Maybe he’s just sick of football and has another opportunity. I hope so because the whole thing is just odd right now. I mean it’s not like baseball where you travel a lot. These guys are home all week and just gone for the weekends if at all. Fun times. Anyway whoever they get has a decent job playing between Thuney and Jackson. Should be OK.
So, after further reading, it seems that the guaranteed bonus payment $6 million that Dalman received up front was split into three prorated $2 million installments. So, the money has been paid, but the team chose to put in on paper as being split equally over three seasons (2025, 2026, 2027). Therefore, the retirement will allow the Bears to try and reclaim $4 million ($2 million for 2026, and $2 million for 2027; he obviously played in 2025 and earned that $2 million). When a player retires, that “future” hit moves to the next season. So, the 2027 $2 million hit comes due immediately.
I’d expect Chicago to consider doing that, but they might just take the salary and future bonus savings without trying to sue Dalman for breach of contract. They’d have to sue, of course, because they already paid him the money, and he has it now. If they don’t do that, then $4 million of the prorated paid bonus counts against 2026.
So Dalman ends up counting $4 million against the cap in 2026, but his $11 million salary and $1 million other bonus ($12 million total) comes off.
Originally, his hit for 2026 was $14 million ($12 million in unpaid money + the $2 million in already paid signing bonus). Now, it’s $4 million (just the remaining two portions of the already paid bonus that was spread over three years which is now due). The Bears can attempt to sue Dalman to recover that. I don’t think-unless someone else can correct me-that the 2026 cap hit will change if they get the money back. I don’t know if it can be credited to 2027. In any case, 2027 should feature no cap hit from the Dalman deal, and the Bears end up having $10 million more in 2026 than they would have otherwise…and have to replace a good center.
Now you just need to explain the financials for when a player retires then un-retires… which seems to be a popular trend in the league recently 🙂
It’s the same, but with an Uno Reverse card.
Good points Uncle. The reality is this. We as fans may never know the reason for Dahlman stepping away. Hopefully nothing serious regarding Dahlman or his family. Could be something quite serious. Again, hopefully not the case. But 27 year old players seemingly at the top of their game just don’t step away.
well I enjoyed having a competent offensive line for 1 season out of the previous 40. Back to swiss cheese.
Well if they can sign any of the 3 guys that are talked about here nothing much should change. With Thuney, Jackson and Wright it would still be a solid 4 with LT being the worry it was already going to be. I don’t really see a problem. plus I always liked Stromberg and he can still be a factor maybe. Anyway Roushar’s job should be a little more interesting this year.
Word is that he got tired of Ben taking his shirt off and screaming good better best.
Tell that to AJ and everyone else who hates Hurts and that tool Siriani
Good one
Really enjoyed that one year of stability at OL. Good stuff.
Took advantage of a front loaded contract and walked.
Extremely surprising, hopefully his health is ok
Retirement sounds pretty good when the alternative is working in north Indiana
lol savage
At least he gave the Bears warning before free agency and the draft.
@saint. Yeah ragnow did the lions dirty retiring the day before preseason. Although it seems like he had a career ending injury. Tried to come back, and wasn’t cleared.
I have to respect Ragnow, though. Multiple reports from various places described how hard it was for him to play, and he ended up trying to come back. It seemed like he gave all he could.
Good for him. Probably just wants to watch his kids grow up and spend QT with his family. We dealt with this last year in Detroit with Ragnow. But Chicago should count themselves as lucky. Frank retired right before camp. Atleast the Bears have the draft and FA to look forward to.
Ragnow had devastating injuries and as far as I know wanted to keep playing but just wasn’t able. I’d cut him some slack.
Bruhhhhh
Hope he is alright and just walking away on his terms. Loved him as a Falcon as he really helped the team build a good young line (that injuries keeps derailing).
Really, really hoping everything is alright with Drew and his family.
I remember when Ryne Sandberg suddenly retired because of personal issues. Poor guy had a tough row to hoe. Took awhile, but he eventually came back.
Pure speculation, but wondering if Dalman is possibly distracted by personal situation or something health related.
Do you think Rafael Palmeiro and Davey Martinez also slept with Dalman’s wife? 🙂
Best wishes to him and his family in retirement
Let’s get real, he didn’t want that nail painting Nancy putting his hands between his legs any more, and I can’t blame him