NFL Front Office Updates: Raiders, Bills, Bears, Rams
As the offseason continues, the Raiders are one of several teams making updates to their front office. Per an announcement released by Las Vegas earlier this week, Ben Chester was promoted from assistant director to director, pro scouting, Kunal Singh was promoted from senior manager to director, football strategy, Patrick Parrilli was elevated from player personnel assistant to pro/college scout, and Jonah Lubin was promoted from football data science assistant to football data scientist.
Chester has been with the Raiders for 12 years, joining the team in 2014 as a pro scout after working in operations at UW-Oshkosh and coaching at UW-Stevens Point. He spent 10 seasons as a pro scout before being named to his most recent role. Singh found his way to the NFL after first working with the Milwaukee Brewers. He started in the league working two seasons as a football data scientist with the Broncos and was hired to his senior manager of football strategy role last year.
Parrilli joined the team two years ago in a move that took him from the coaching world to personnel. After starting off with an undergraduate role at Ave Maria University, Parrilli spent four years at Eastern Kentucky working different roles like running backs coach and quarterbacks coach before landing at Wake Forest. He found his way to Vegas after four years as an offensive analyst for the Demon Deacons. Lubin joined the team last year after a business internship with the Texans. He was a semi-finalist in last year’s Big Data Bowl.
Here are a few other front office updates from around the NFL:
- The Bills joined in on the promotions, elevating football research assistant Cole Jacobson to football analyst, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder. Jacobson arrived in Buffalo last offseason after years of freelance, seasonal, and part-time work with NFL Media, MLB Media, FOX Sports, Stats Perform, and Championship Analytics. He and his team were finalist in last year’s Big Data Bowl.
- Formerly a football analyst for the Bears, Fabian Martinez has been promoted to football data scientist, per Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Martinez joined the team last year directly after earning his degree in Information and Data Science at Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- Finally, in Los Angeles, the Rams no longer employ scouting analyst Grant Hizer, according to Walder. Hizer arrived in LA last year after a season working as a research analyst at NFL Next Gen Stats.
Bears Moving Toward Indiana Relocation
The Bears have called the state of Illinois home since they began play in 1920, but they now have one foot out the door. Their board of directors voted to advance stadium development at a to-be-determined site in Hammond, Ind., chairman George McCaskey and president and CEO Kevin Warren announced in a joint statement.
“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” McCaskey and Warren said. “It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”
The Bears, who will soon leave the 102-year-old Soldier Field for a new stadium, identified Hammond and Arlington Heights, Ill., as potential sites for a domed facility earlier in this process. In an announcement on May 21, they claimed the city of Chicago does not have a “viable site.” Their chances of at least staying in Illinois would have improved had the Senate voted to approve a proposal to give tax breaks for megaprojects of $100MM or more. However, that bid fell short before the Senate adjourned on May 31.
While it appears the Bears will end up in Hammond, which is approximately 35 minutes from Chicago, it isn’t a fait accompli, Courtney Cronin of ESPN reports. “Illinois can still get back in the race,” a source told Cronin. Meanwhile, a source informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “There is more work to do but barring anything very strange, it’s a done deal.”
For his part, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is already spiking the ball. In a celebratory statement, Braun announced (via WSBT CBS 22): “Hoosiers, help me welcome the Chicago Bears to our great state! We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the ’85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come. An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region like we haven’t seen before.”
If the Bears leave for Indiana, they would join the Colts as the state’s second NFL franchise. The Colts would welcome them with open arms.
“We’re happy for the Bears and wish them the best in their stadium initiative,” the Colts stated Friday (via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star). “We also hope this will mean great things for community and economic development for our fellow Hoosiers in northwest Indiana.”
Hammond is within 75 miles of Chicago, which means the Bears already have the marketing rights there.
Bears To Sign First-Rounder Dillon Thieneman, Second-Rounder Logan Jones
The Bears have agreed to a deal with first-round safety Dillon Thieneman, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. As the 25th overall pick, Thieneman will sign a fully guaranteed contract worth $19.51MM over four years.
Chicago has also come to terms with second-round center Logan Jones, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Jones was the 57th overall selection, which carries an approximate value of $8.47MM. It is likely he will receive a good chunk of guaranteed money.
Thieneman, who divided his three-year college career between Purdue and Oregon, entered the draft trailing Ohio State’s Caleb Downs as the second-rated safety on the board. Downs went 11th overall to the Cowboys. It was somewhat surprising Thieneman was still available 14 picks later for the Bears, who are expecting his excellence in college to transfer to the pros. The 6-foot, 201-pounder made 106 tackles and intercepted six passes as a freshman with the Boilermakers in 2023 en route to third-team All-America honors. Last year, his lone season at Oregon, he was named a first-team All-American after making 96 tackles and pulling in two picks.
The NFC North champion Bears deployed starting safeties Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard on over 99% of defensive snaps in 2025, but both players exited in free agency. They partially replaced those two with former Seahawk Coby Bryant, who moved to Chicago on a three-year, $40MM contract. Thieneman and Bryant are now positioned to serve as the Bears’ safety duo for at least the next few seasons.
Jones played his college ball at Iowa, which is known for churning out quality offensive linemen. That includes the game’s best center, the Raiders’ Tyler Linderbaum, whom Jones succeeded in 2022. While Jones had a tough act to follow, the former defensive tackle ended up a four-year starter in the middle of the Hawkeyes’ O-line. He earned three All-Big Ten selections during that span, and he was at his best in 2025. The 6-3, 299-pounder was a unanimous All-American who won the Rimington Trophy, which is given to the nation’s best center. Linderbaum also took home the Rimington Trophy in his last year at Iowa.
After the abrupt retirement of starting center Drew Dalman, the Bears acquired Garrett Bradbury from the Patriots in early March. Bradbury may start in 2026, but he is on track to become a free agent next offseason. So, even if Bradbury wins the job this summer, Jones could take over as the Bears’ No. 1 center by 2027.
With Thieneman and Jones set to put pen to paper, the Bears will soon have just one unsigned pick: third-round tight end Sam Roush. Here is their full class…
- Round 1, No. 25: Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 57: Logan Jones (C, Iowa) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 69 (from Giants via Texans, Bills and Titans): Sam Roush (TE, Stanford)
- Round 3, No. 89: Zavion Thomas (WR, LSU) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 124 (from Jaguars via Panthers): Malik Muhammad (CB, Texas) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 166 (from 49ers via Eagles and Panthers): Keyshaun Elliott (LB, Arizona State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 213 (from Seahawks via Jaguars, Lions and Bills): Jordan Van Den Berg (DT, Georgia Tech) (signed)
Illinois Efforts To Allow Publicly-Owned Bears Stadium In Chicago Falls Short
JUNE 2: Late on Sunday, the Illinois state legislature adjourned for the spring with a last-minute attempt at passing a new ‘megaprojects’ bill falling short, as detailed by ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. As a result, Arlington Heights and Hammond remain the two potential Bears destinations at this point. Cronin points to this latest development as the next in a long line of indications that the franchise’s next home will end up being built across state lines in Indiana.
MAY 31: The state of Illinois is not letting the Bears leave Chicago without a fight.
Earlier in May, the Bears released a statement explaining that they no longer saw a path to staying in the city and naming Chicago suburb Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana as the two finalists for the team’s new home. But the Illinois legislature is launching a last-gasp effort that would give municipalities in Cook County – which includes Chicago and Arlington Heights – to create a stadium authority to finance and lease a new arena to the Bears. The team would foot the bill for construction, but not property tax, as the stadium and the land it sits on would be owned by the municipality.
“They would essentially pay for the stadium, enter an agreement with the municipality — could be any municipality — and the municipality would open the building,” said state Sen. Bill Cunningham (via Mitchell Armentrout of the Chicago Sun-Times), who represents part of the South Side neighborhood of Chicago. He has led negotiations with the Bears and introduced this latest bill for a publicly-owned stadium in what he sees as a “common model” around the NFL.
Legislators are still working on hammering out the language of the bill, and time is of the essence. As in the NFL, June 1 is a key date in the Illinois Capital. Bills voted on after June 1 must be supported by 60% of the legislature if they take effect within a year. The Bears are looking to finalize their decision in the coming months, so the state must act quickly to approve this bill and give the team an alternate path to staying in Chicago.
This might be Chicago’s last chance to keep the Bears in the city. Arlington Heights will remain in play either way, but it is 30 miles northeast of Soldier Field, which is roughly the same distance from the proposed Hammond site in Indiana. If this bill can get approved by the legislature and signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago would still to go through the prescribed process of creating a stadium authority and working out a deal for the Bears to build and occupy – but not own – a new stadium in the city.
It seems unthinkable that the Bears could be headquartered anywhere but Chicago. But the city has refused to offer public funds for a stadium, and a bill that would have offered substantial tax breaks passed the general assembly but not the state senate. Cunningham’s legislation offers a middle route in which the Bears pay for the stadium but face no tax bill since it will be publicly-owned.
Bears Host DE A.J. Epenesa
The Bears have not made any notable defensive end acquisitions this offseason, but they are “keeping tabs on potential options,” according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. A.J. Epenesa, who is among the established free agent veterans left at the position, worked out for the Bears last week, Biggs reports.
Epenesa, a 2020 second-round pick who spent his first six seasons in Buffalo, briefly came off the board when he agreed to sign with the Browns in late March. That deal collapsed as a result of a failed physical, and Epenesa is still looking for a team over two months later. The 27-year-old worked out for the Dolphins last month, but it is unclear whether they are considering signing him.
Although he couldn’t pass the Browns’ physical, Epenesa did not miss significant time with injuries as a member of the Bills. He played between 14 and 17 regular-season games each year in Buffalo, where he mostly served as a rotational player. Epenesa was a 13-game starter in 2024, but he combined for just six starts in his other five seasons as a Bill. The former Iowa Hawkeye has notched 53 quarterback hits, 24 sacks, 21 pass deflections and four interceptions in 91 games as a pro.
Epenesa racked up six to 6.5 sacks in each season from 2022-24, but the number dropped to 2.5 over 16 games last year. He also added 32 tackles, four PDs and a pair of picks while playing 44.6% of defensive snaps as a depth piece behind Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa. He ended the campaign as Pro Football Focus’ 86th-ranked edge defender out of 119 qualifiers.
While the Bears’ turnover-happy defense helped the team to an NFC North title in 2025, the unit finished just 26th in sacks (35). Montez Sweat, who totaled a team-leading 10 sacks, remains atop the Bears’ defensive end group. Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner are also among their returning options. Odeyingbo inked a three-year, $48MM pact with the Bears in March 2025, but the former Colt missed nine games with an Achilles tear and chipped in just one sack when healthy. The Bears expect Odeyingbo back for training camp, though they could still pick up Epenesa or someone else before the season opens.
Epenesa is part of a market that features better pass rushers in Bosa, Cameron Jordan, Jadeveon Clowney, and a couple of other former Bills teammates in Von Miller and Leonard Floyd (also an ex-Bear). He is likely to sign for less than each of them, especially after failing a physical. That could matter to a Chicago team that has around $6.46MM in effective cap space (via OverTheCap), which ranks 23rd in the league.
Bears Expect Training Camp Return For DE Dayo Odeyingbo
Dayo Odeyingbo‘s debut season with the Bears did not go according to plan. An Achilles tear limited him to just eight games, but a return for practices this summer is expected.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin) Odeyingbo will “definitely be in the mix” during training camp. He specified the sixth-year veteran will be used at defensive end, but the fact a clean bill of health in time for July is anticipated represents positive news.
Last spring, the Bears added Odeyingbo on a three-year, $48MM deal. The former Colt flashed potential in terms of sack production while playing out his rookie contract. In 2025, however, Odeyingbo managed only one sack, six pressures and four quarterback hits prior to his injury. A lengthy rehab process has ensued, but the opportunity to compete for a starting role will again present itself this summer provided a full recovery is made by that point.
Improving in the pass rush department is a major Bears priority heading into 2026. No major additions from outside the organization have been made to date, so the performances of Chicago’s incumbent options this summer will be worth watching closely. Odeyingbo, 26, is joined by Austin Booker and Shemar Turner as a candidate to operate as the team’s edge rushing complement to Montez Sweat. Another strong season from Sweat, coupled with an improved showing from the supporting cast, would be key in helping the Bears’ front seven take a step forward.
Allen has a lengthy history with free agent Cameron Jordan based on their history in New Orleans. A reunion between the two is unlikely, though. Several other veteran pass rushers remain unsigned at this time, but the Bears’ approach will include an evaluation period for those already in place. Odeyingbo in particular will be worth watching closely as he returns from a long-term injury. He is owed $16MM in 2026, much of which is already guaranteed.
Bears CB Kyler Gordon Sidelined During OTAs
The 2025 season was severely impacted by injuries in Kyler Gordon‘s case. Things have not gone according to plan on that front so far this spring.
Gordon landed on injured reserve twice last year, and he made just five combined regular and postseason appearances as a result. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports the fifth-year cornerback was absent from the team at the onset of the Bears’ offseason program this spring. More notably, he adds Gordon has been sidelined during Chicago’s initial OTAs due to a “soft-tissue injury.”
Absences during voluntary workouts is of course not a serious concern in general with plenty of time remaining until training camp and the regular season. Still, a case such as Gordon’s makes any missed time a potential cause for concern. The 26-year-old was highly durable during his first three seasons in the NFL before an injury-marred campaign with Chicago’s new coaching staff in place.
Gordon is attached to the three-year, $40MM extension he signed last offseason. That deal made him the league’s highest-paid slot corner, a distinction which came as little surprise at the time. The 26-year-old has been a key figure in Chicago’s secondary when healthy, and expectations will be high upon returning to action. Strong play against the pass will be critical for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and Co. in 2026 after the Bears added two new starting safeties this offseason. Gordon, along with perimeter corners Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson, is a returnee.
Gordon’s pact runs through 2028, and his $10MM base salary for next year has already vested. A strong run over at least the next two seasons will be critical as a result, and a clean bill of health would represent a welcomed starting point. It will be interesting to see if he manages to return to full strength by the start of training camp or if a new round of injury concerns will linger during the build-up to the 2026 campaign.
Bears: No ‘Viable’ Stadium Site In Chicago
As they continue to seek a new stadium site, it appears there is little hope of the Bears remaining in Chicago. In a statement issued Thursday, the Bears indicated they are considering just two potential sites for their new home. Both locations are outside of the city.
“The Chicago Bears have exhausted every opportunity to stay in Chicago, which was our initial goal,” the team said. “There is not a viable site in the city. As a result, the only sites under consideration are in Arlington Heights and Hammond.”
Arlington Heights is an Illinois suburb approximately 25 miles from Chicago. If the Bears end up there, it would be in a new indoor venue on 326 acres of land. Despite being out of state, Hammond, Ind., is similar in distance to Soldier Field as Arlington Heights. The Indiana site would also include a new domed stadium. Commissioner Roger Goodell called both options “viable” earlier this week (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).
Last month, the Illinois House voted to approve a proposal to give tax breaks for megaprojects of $100MM or more. That would include a football stadium, which would bode well for the Bears staying in Illinois. But the Senate will also have to approve the legislation before adjourning on May 31, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. If the vote doesn’t pass, the Bears will likely go to Indiana, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren wants the team to pick a site by late spring or early summer, per Finley. Warren accompanied Bears chairman George McCaskey on a mid-April visit to Hammond, where they met with Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. Although the franchise has played in Illinois since 1920, McCaskey said Bears fans “would get used to” Indiana (via Finley). Because Hammond is within 75 miles of downtown Chicago, the Bears – not the Indiana-based Colts – already own marketing rights there.
The Bears’ current home, Soldier Field, opened in 1924. It is now the oldest stadium in the NFL by far. The Bears began play there in 1971. Fifty-five years later, their time at Soldier Field is nearing an end. Depending on how the Illinois Senate votes on May 31, the Bears’ days in the state may also be numbered.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/21/26
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Waived: RB Deion Hankins
- Placed on exempt/international player list: P Tory Taylor
Houston Texans
- Waived/injured: CB Ajani Carter
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OT Marques Cox, RB Carlos Washington
- Waived: TE Jalin Conyers, OL Braeden Daniels
WR Collin Johnson Retires
Collin Johnson announced his retirement on Thursday. The receiver’s NFL career has therefore come to an end at the age of 28.
“Football has shaped my life in more ways than I can put into words,” Johnson’s announcement reads in part. “It taught me faith, discipline, resilience, leadership, and how to compete at the highest level. I’m thankful for every teammate, coach, organization, and person who helped me along the way.”
Johnson entered the league as a Jaguars draftee in 2020. The former fifth-round pick spent his rookie season with the Jaguars, but only ended up playing one year in Jacksonville. Johnson would go on to see time with the Giants and Bears over the course of his career. The Texas product’s last regular-season game came with Chicago in 2024.
Instead of aiming to land on a roster this summer, Johnson will turn his focus to academic and business pursuits. His announcement states he will enroll at MIT Sloan this fall with the intent of graduating with an MBA. Johnson is the founder and CEO of Beyond-Sports, and his company is set to expand by launching Founders Academy to assist current and former athletes with business ventures.
In total, Johnson made 38 appearances in the NFL. He amassed roughly $3.6MM in career earnings along the way. Attention in his case will now turn to a clearly-defined next chapter.