Bears, Chargers Looked Into Tyler Linderbaum
Several teams were reported to have interest in Tyler Linderbaum as free agency approached, among them the Bears and Chargers, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Though neither won the bidding war for the former Ravens Pro Bowler, both teams did their homework on the veteran center in the weeks leading up to the start of the legal free agent tampering period. 
Expected to reset the market at the center position, Linderbaum was arguably the hottest player slated to hit the open market with massive projections for his next contract. Because the Raiders’ three-year, $81MM offer blew expectations of a $25MM annual average out of the water, the Ravens, Bears, Chargers, and any other potential suitors were all forced to pivot.
Both Chicago and Los Angeles fell out of the race for Linderbaum far before the price tag rose to $27MM per year. Signs began pointing to the veteran center landing back with Baltimore or with the Raiders as the competing bidders started dropping like flies — made apparent by transactions made for other centers. After moving on from the idea of landing the highest-paid center in the NFL, the Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury, acquiring him from the Patriots. Instead of paying $27MM, Chicago was able to move forward simply by relinquishing a fifth-round pick to land Bradbury for a single season at $3.7MM.
The sign that the Chargers had dropped out of the race for Linderbaum came when the team added Tyler Biadasz after he was cut by the Commanders. Los Angeles even secured Biadasz long term, signing the 2022 Pro Bowler to a three-year, $30MM contract. Also, because he had been released from his contract before the start of free agency, he was able to join the Chargers right away and won’t count against the team’s compensatory pick calculations for next year.
The Ravens, too, will need to find a new center after their 2022 first-round pick left Baltimore in free agency. General manager Eric DeCosta was willing to go up to $88MM over four years, a $22MM AAV that would have reset the center market by $4MM per year, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. But the Raiders came in with $27MM per year and a structure that essentially guarantees all $81MM. The three-year term will also give Linderbaum significant leverage to negotiate another raise during the 2028 offseason, which was another sticking point with the Ravens.
The Raiders clearly thought it was worth every penny to land the top center option available as they close in on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the presumed No. 1 overall pick of the draft. The rookie passer will find himself behind one of the league’s top centers. A smart, experienced interior lineman like Linderbaum should be able to take a significant load off Mendoza’s shoulders when it comes to the offense’s presnap operations and blitz recognitions. In the meantime, the Bears and Chargers have paired their young passers with veterans of their own, and the Ravens remain with a hole to fill.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Bears To Acquire C Garrett Bradbury From Patriots
Garrett Bradbury is heading back to the NFC North. Days after Drew Dalman‘s retirement, the Bears have a deal in place to acquire Bradbury from the Patriots, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Chicago is sending a 2027 fifth-round pick (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) to New England for Bradbury, who logged six seasons as the Vikings’ starting center before being cut in 2025. The former first-round pick started every game for the Patriots last season, doing so after logging 88 starts with the Vikings from 2019-24.
The 2025 offseason dispersed Dalman and Bradbury elsewhere. A four-year Falcon, Dalman signed a three-year, $42MM Bears deal. Not too long after his Vikings release, Bradbury landed in Foxborough via a two-year, $9.5MM pact. The Bears will pick up Bradbury’s $3.7MM 2026 base salary.
This trade comes after Tyler Biadasz, who visited the Bears in the wake of the Dalman retirement news, agreed to a three-year Chargers deal worth $30MM. Chicago will save quite a bit at center compared to Dalman or Biadasz, though Bradbury will likely be a downgrade from Dalman’s 2025 work.
Pro Football Focus graded Bradbury as the NFL’s No. 29 overall center last season. The Patriots voyaged to Super Bowl LX, but their O-line featured shaky stretches beyond merely Will Campbell‘s late-season struggles. Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson are certainly familiar with Bradbury from previous NFC North clashes, but it is worth wondering if the Bears will add a center option in the draft as well. Bradbury will turn 31 in June.
The Vikings gave Bradbury a three-year, $15.75MM deal in 2023; that came after then-GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not pick up the Rick Spielman draftee’s fifth-year option. PFF has never graded Bradbury as a top-10 center, but the advanced metrics site did place him 11th in 2022. Rankings outside the top 20 have followed in the years since.
The Bears, who officially placed Dalman on the reserve/retired list today, look to be passing on a free agent market that also includes Connor McGovern, Cade Mays, Lloyd Cushenberry and Ethan Pocic. Tyler Linderbaum is PFR’s No. 1-ranked free agent, but with Biadasz potentially being too pricey for the Bears (if that is indeed the case), the four-year Ravens starter’s explosive market certainly would be.
Chicago looks set to plug Bradbury into an O-line returning starters Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright — while LT Ozzy Trapilo will spend part of the season rehabbing a patellar tendon tear — while New England will need a new center. Ben Levine’s Patriots Offseason Outlook mentioned Bradbury as a potential cut candidate. It is worth wondering if the Patriots will be in the market for a free agent upgrade soon. The Bradbury trade will also mark a reunion for Thuney and Bradbury, who played together at NC State.
AFC Contract Details: Becton, Bolts, Texans, Jenkins, Browns, Bills, Patriots, Dolphins
Here are the latest details from contracts agreed to around the AFC:
- Mekhi Becton, OL (Chargers). Two years, $20MM. Despite raising his value with the Eagles, Becton only fetched $6.94MM guaranteed at signing, Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer tweets. The deal includes $3.06MM of per-game roster bonuses in 2025 and $2.55MM in ’26, with these protecting the Bolts after Becton missed 33 games from 2021-22. Becton is due a $2.5MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2026 league year, per OverTheCap.
- Christian Elliss, LB (Patriots). Two years, $13.51MM. The Pats are guaranteeing Elliss $7.75MM at signing, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin tweets. This Raiders offer sheet includes guarantees into Year 2, with Volin adding $2.25MM of Elliss’ $7.38MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed at signing. Although Las Vegas designed this deal to give New England pause about matching, the team did so and has since released Ja’Whaun Bentley.
- Cam Robinson, T (Texans). One year, $12MM. The Texans are guaranteeing Robinson $10.75MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. Up to $1.25MM is available via per-game roster bonuses. Houston also included four void years, which would create a $7MM 2026 dead money bill if Robinson is not re-signed before the 2026 league year.
- Garrett Bradbury, C (Patriots). Two years, $9.5MM. Bradbury will see $3.8MM guaranteed at signing; $2.4MM of that comes via a signing bonus, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. Bradbury’s $3.7MM 2026 base salary is nonguaranteed, giving the Pats an out if the fit proves poor this year.
- Mario Edwards, DL (Texans). Two years, $9.5MM. The team is guaranteeing the nomadic D-lineman, $4.5MM, Wilson tweets. Edwards’ $4MM 2026 base salary is nonguaranteed.
- Reid Ferguson, LS (Bills). Four years, $6.5MM. Ferguson’s latest Bills contract sits second (to the Chiefs’ James Winchester) at the NFL’s lowest-paid position. The deal includes $2.37MM guaranteed at signing, which Wilson notes is comprised of a 2025 salary guarantee and a $1.1MM signing bonus.
- Zach Wilson, QB (Dolphins). One year, $6MM. The ex-Jets starter still secured a fully guaranteed deal as he attempts to reset after spending the 2024 season as the Broncos’ third-stringer. The Dolphins guaranteed Wilson $6MM, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Wilson only counts $2.2MM on Miami’s 2025 cap, per Jackson, as the team added four void years to keep that number low.
- Sheldon Rankins, DT (Texans). One year, $5.25MM. Coming after Rankins underwhelmed on a two-year, $24.5MM Bengals accord, the former first-round pick will see $4.5MM guaranteed, per Wilson. Playing-time incentives worth a total of $1.75MM are also included in Rankins’ second Texans contract.
- Teven Jenkins, G (Browns). One year, $3.1MM. The guard market dried up for Jenkins, whose free agency reminds of Dalton Risner‘s recent forays. The three-year Bears starter, who held a high asking price early on the market, settled for a deal including just $2.67MM guaranteed, Wilson adds. Cleveland included up to $340K in per-game roster bonuses.
- Ifeatu Melifonwu, S (Dolphins). One year, $3MM. The Dolphins are guaranteeing the ex-Lions defender $2.45MM, Wilson tweets. Another $1MM in incentives is present.
- Marcus Epps, S (Patriots). One year, $2.03MM. One of two 2024 Raiders starting defenders heading to New England (along with Robert Spillane), Epps received only $500K guaranteed, Reiss tweets. That includes $350K of Epps’ $1.17MM base salary, which does not make the former Super Bowl LVII starter a roster lock.
Patriots, C Garrett Bradbury Agree To Deal
Garrett Bradbury has not needed to wait long to find his next NFL gig. The veteran center was officially released by the Vikings on Monday, and he now has a deal lined up with the Patriots. 
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Bradbury is heading to New England on a two-year contract. The pact has a maximum value of $12MM and includes $3.8MM in guarantees. The former first-rounder will be tasked with handling starting duties with the Patriots.
Bradbury started all 88 of his appearances during his time with Minnesota. The Vikings’ flurry of moves early in free agency included a deal for Ryan Kelly, however, and that pact indicated Bradbury would be on the move. Last week, it was learned the team would look to find a trade partner; as expected, no suitors were interested in taking on the remainder of his pact. The 29-year-old was designated a post-June 1 release on Monday.
That left Bradbury free to join a new team at any time, and to little surprise he has elected to join the Patriots. On Sunday, Schefter’s colleague Mike Reiss wrote New England represented a team to watch with respect to adding the NC State product. The Patriots’ decision to move on from David Andrews created a vacancy at the center spot, and this move will fill it for at least the short term.
Andrews operated as the Patriots’ starter each year since 2015 (with the exception of 2019, when he did not play). The possibility of a release was raised at the Combine, and New England when forward with it last week. That decision added to the questions facing a Pats O-line already in need of other starters, but Bradbury will now occupy a first-team role in Andrews’ place.
New England pursued Drew Dalman, the top center in the 2025 free agent class. A Patriots deal could not be worked out, though, as Dalman opted to join the Bears on a lucrative three-year pact. With the likes of Dalman, Kelly and Josh Myers off the market, it appeared the draft would be needed for New England to add a starter in the middle. The Bradbury release opened the door to a quick signing, though.
In 2022, Bradbury graded out as PFF’s 11th-best center. In each of his other campaigns, however, his evaluations have placed him between 23rd and 29th at the positions. Expectations will thus be tempered upon arrival in New England, a team which can now turn its attention to other offensive line spots until at least the draft.
Vikings Release C Garrett Bradbury
MARCH 17: As expected, no trade partner was found in Bradbury’s case. As a result, Pelissero and Rapoport report he has been released with a post-June 1 designation. This move will create $5.25MM in cap space (which will not be available until after that date) while generating a dead money charge of just $814K.
MARCH 13: With Ryan Kelly now in place, the Vikings will be moving on from their previous starting center. If a trade partner cannot be found for Garrett Bradbury, he will released, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report.
The Vikings were aggressive in pursuing additions on both sides of the line of scrimmage early in free agency. In addition to the Kelly deal, fellow former Colts O-lineman Will Fries received a Minnesota pact. The latter’s signing helped inform today’s Ed Ingram trade. Once Bradbury is no longer in the fold, the Vikings will look noticeably different up front next season.
One year remains on Bradbury’s contract; he is owed a $4.9MM base salary but none of that figure is guaranteed. A trade or release (presuming it does not carry a post-June 1 designation) would result in $3.62MM in cap savings for the Vikings while generating a dead money charge of $2.44MM. Bradbury was set to carry a cap charge of just over $6MM in 2025, but the Kelly deal (two years, $18MM) will lead to a fresh start.
Selected in the first round in 2019, Bradbury started all 88 of his Vikings games. The North Carolina State product remained mostly durable during his tenure with the team, but his PFF evaluations left plenty to be desired. Bradbury ranked 11th amongst qualifying centers in 2022, but in each of his other campaigns he slotted in between 23rd and 29th at the position.
Kelly, along with Drew Dalman and Josh Myers, have already lined up new deals in the early portion of free agency. Few experienced centers are left on the market as a result, a factor which could help Bradbury find a new home in short order. It would come as a surprise if teams showed much interest in trading for the 29-year-old, but he could line up a deal as a free agent shortly after his (likely) release takes place.
After playing out his rookie contract, Bradbury inked a three-year, $15.75MM deal. He will no doubt have to settle for lesser terms on his next pact, but it will be interesting to see where he lands for 2025.
OL Notes: Vikings, Bengals, Pats, Nijman
Garrett Bradbury suffered a back injury last season, and the Vikings center saw his absence extended after he aggravated the malady in a car accident. Bradbury missed the Vikings’ final five regular-season games but returned for the team’s wild-card loss. The Vikings circled back to the former first-round pick in March, re-signing him to a three-year, $15.75MM deal. That contract becomes a pay-as-you go accord after 2023, and Bradbury has run into familiar trouble. The Vikings ruled out the fifth-year center for their Thursday-night game in Philadelphia due to a back injury.
“We felt positive about him, and he’s done everything and had no issues whatsoever through a pretty physical training camp for us to feel really good about it,” Kevin O’Connell said (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert) of Bradbury’s back issue. “It’s just how this game goes sometimes, and he’s a tough guy, big part of the interior of our offensive line and we’ll hope to get him back as soon as we can.”
Austin Schlottmann, who returned last week after a broken leg ended his 2022 season, is set to start at center against the Eagles. Here is the latest from the O-line landscape:
- The Bengals completed an unexpected transaction this week, releasing La’el Collins from the reserve/PUP list. The team had given Collins a three-year, $21MM deal to step in at right tackle, which he did for 15 games. But ACL and MCL tears ended his 2022 season in Week 16 and prevented him from starting this season on time. The Bengals have Jonah Williams at right tackle opposite big-ticket UFA addition Orlando Brown Jr., but Jackson Carman — who replaced Williams at LT in the playoffs last season — is not the top backup any longer. D’Ante Smith, a 2021 fourth-round pick, is positioned as Cincinnati’s swing tackle now, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Carman has started two playoff games but lost three position battles in his three training camps. Viewed as a project coming out of East Carolina, Smith has played 56 career offensive snaps.
- Reliability questions surrounded the Patriots‘ offensive line, and the team responded accordingly when setting its 53-man roster. Before Riley Reiff ended up on IR, the Patriots submitted an initial 53 with 11 O-linemen. No other team’s first 53 included that many, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com observes. Only seven teams kept 10 blockers, though that is where New England’s contingent stands after the Reiff move. The Pats needed to use this depth early. Calvin Anderson, who came off the Pats’ reserve/non-football illness list late in the preseason, started at right tackle in Week 1. Guards Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu were out, moving fourth- and fifth-round rookies — Sidy Sow, Atonio Mafi — into the lineup. Onwenu and Strange have each logged two limited practices this week, though both Sow and left tackle Trent Brown suffered concussions in the opener, leaving their Week 2 statuses in doubt.
- The Commanders, Packers and Vikings each restructured an O-line deal recently. Washington created $6MM in cap space by moving $7.5MM of Charles Leno‘s base salary into a signing bonus and adding three void years, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. Green Bay topped that by adding four void years to Yosh Nijman‘s deal, creating $2.54MM in cap space, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. This proves interesting due to Nijman being on a second-round RFA tender; he is due to be a 2024 free agent. Minnesota added $9.99MM in space by restructuring Brian O’Neill‘s contract, per Yates.
Contract Details: Tunsil, Ogunjobi, Thompson, Tomlinson, Bradbury
Here are some details on contracts signed since the start of free agency:
- Laremy Tunsil, T (Texans): Three years, $75MM. The extension, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, includes a guaranteed amount of $60MM, $50MM of which is guaranteed at signing. The $50MM amount in composed of a $30MM signing bonus, Tunsil’s 2023 base salary of $2MM, and his 2024 base salary of $18MM. The remaining $10MM, which comes out of his 2025 base salary (worth a total of $20.95MM), is guaranteed for injury at signing and becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year. His 2026 base salary is worth $20.95MM. The contract also includes annual workout bonuses of $150,000 and annual per game active roster bonuses that can potentially total $250,000 each season.
- Dalvin Tomlinson, DT (Browns): Four years, $57MM. The contract, according to Florio, includes a guaranteed amount of $26.29MM consisting of a $15.09MM signing bonus, Tomlinson’s first year base salary of $1.08MM, and his 2024 option bonus of $10.13MM. Of the 2024 option bonus, $8.84MM is guaranteed at signing with the rest fully guaranteeing on the third day of the 2024 league year. His 2024 base salary of $1.21MM is guaranteed for injury at signing and will fully guarantee along with the second part of the 2024 option bonus. His 2025 and 2026 base salaries are both worth $13MM, and both have roster bonuses of $750,000 due on the third day of their respective league years. In the first two years of the contract, Tomlinson will receive a per game active roster of bonus of $14,705 worth a potential season total of $250,000. The following two years see the per game active roster bonus rise to $44,117 for a potential season total of $750,000. The deal includes a potential out, allowing the Browns to cut Tomlinson after 2025 with $12.11MM in dead money but $14.5MM of cap savings over the next three years, including two voidable years.
- Larry Ogunjobi, DT (Steelers): Three years, $28.75MM. The new deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, includes a guaranteed amount of $12MM at signing consisting of a $10.6MM signing bonus and Ogunjobi’s first year base salary of $1.4MM. His second year base salary of $5MM is guaranteed for injury and his 2025 base salary is worth $4MM. The contract includes roster bonuses of $4.75MM (guaranteed on the third league day of 2024) and $3MM (guaranteed on the third league day of 2025). Pittsburgh also put a potential out in the contract that would allow them to cut Ogunjobi after 2023 with $7.07MM of dead money but with $16.75MM in cap savings over the next two years.
- Garrett Bradbury, C (Vikings): Three years, $15.75MM. The new contract, according to Wilson, includes a guaranteed amount of $9.8MM, $4.9MM of which is guaranteed at signing. The initial $4.9MM is composed of a $3.82MM signing bonus and Bradbury’s first year base salary of $1.08MM. The remaining $4.9MM consists of his second year base salary which fully guarantees on the third day of the 2024 league year. The deal includes an annual workout bonus of $100,000 and a per game active roster bonus of $14,705 for a potential season total of $250,000. The deal also includes a potential out that allows the Vikings to release Bradbury after 2023 with zero dead cap, resulting in $13.05MM in cap savings over the next two years.
- Shaq Thompson, LB (Panthers): Two years, $12.6MM. The reworked deal, according to Joe Person of The Athletic, includes a guaranteed amount of $8.5MM consisting of a $5.3MM signing bonus, Thompson’s first year base salary of $1.2MM, and $2MM of his 2024 base salary (worth a total of $3.8MM). He’ll receive a $1MM roster bonus guaranteed in March of 2024 and a per game active roster bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000. There are also possible incentives concerning a Pro Bowl selection and playoff wins. The deal includes three void years to reduce his current cap hit. His cap number in 2023 was reduced from $24.5MM to $14.06MM.
Texans, Titans Pursuing LB Denzel Perryman
MARCH 16: Perryman is meeting with the Texans on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The former Chargers, Panthers (sort of) and Raiders linebacker is looking to find a home for a ninth NFL season.
MARCH 15: This year’s crowded inside linebacker market has produced one big contract (the Bears’ Tremaine Edmunds pact) and a host of mid- or low-level agreements. While the legal tampering period has taken many off-ball ‘backers off the board, a few key names remain.
Denzel Perryman is one of the top options left, and he may end up deciding between two AFC South suitors. The Texans and Titans have shown interest in the veteran linebacker, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports.
Perryman hit free agency after two seasons with the Raiders. While those slates helped re-establish the former Chargers draftee’s value, his profile as a run-stopping linebacker — as opposed to a true three-down player with plus coverage skills — will impact his market. The 30-year-old defender logged a 70% defensive snap share last season. Pro Football Focus graded Perryman as a top-12 linebacker against the run, propelling him to a top-20 overall assessment.
The Panthers gave Perryman a multiyear deal in 2021, but he never ended up playing for them after a preseason trade to the Raiders. Gus Bradley, Perryman’s primary DC with the Chargers, put the former second-round pick to work quickly, using him on 83% of the Raiders’ defensive plays that season. Perryman finished the year with 154 tackles — far and away a career-high total — and helped Las Vegas rally to the playoffs despite a turbulent season.
The Raiders showed interest in a Perryman extension before the season, but nothing came to pass. They did circle back last month, though there is a real risk he departs now. The Titans have lost starters David Long and Zach Cunningham, though GM Ran Carthon is reuniting with ex-49er Azeez Al-Shaair. The Texans, who were also linked to Al-Shaair due to his DeMeco Ryans connection, but have not made a move at linebacker yet during the tampering period.
Houston has also shown interest in Mack Wilson, per Aaron Wilson. Mack Wilson spent last season with the Patriots, having been traded straight up for Chase Winovich, but logged 28 starts with the Browns from 2019-21. Houston is also interested in defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, Wilson adds, while also being in on centers Garrett Bradbury, Ethan Pocic and Jake Brendel, the latter of whom having ties to a few Texans coaches. But the center market has largely led to retention thus far. Bradbury, Brendel and Pocic have returned to their respective teams (Vikings, 49ers, Browns). The Texans are believed to be interested in former Lions center Evan Brown, however. The Detroit center/guard option has not signed anywhere yet; Brown has started 24 games over the past two seasons.
The Jets are trying to bring back Rankins, who has played for the team for the past two years. The Texans’ center interest stems from the team cutting Justin Britt, its two-year pivot starter. Britt is planning to retire.
Vikings To Re-Sign C Garrett Bradbury
The Vikings will have continuity in the middle of their offensive line for the next few seasons. Minnesota has reached an agreement to retain center Garrett Bradbury, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). His colleague Ian Rapoport tweets that the new deal is worth $15.75MM over three years.
[RELATED: Vikings To Retain QB Nick Mullens]
Bradbury entered the league with considerable expectations, after he was drafted in the first round following a strong college career. His level of play early in his NFL tenure, however, left plenty to be desired and left his Minnesota future very much in doubt. The team declined his fifth-year option last spring, which would have made him a free agent tomorrow in the absence of this new deal.
The 27-year-old has been a full-time starter throughout his career, one which saw him earn consistent but underwhelming PFF grades for three straight seasons. He took a step forward in that regard in 2022, though, generating an overall rating above 70 for the first time. Overall, he ranked 11th in the league amongst qualified centers, giving the team optimism that his ascent will continue.
The NC State product made it clear on multiple occasions that his desire was to remain with the Vikings. He will now get his wish, and give the team a familiar face at the position at a reasonable AAV, compared to other, generally older, options at the position around the league. Retaining Bradbury marks a more long-term commitment on the Vikings’ part than the one currently in place with their starting quarterback.
Signs are pointing to Kirk Cousins playing out the final year of his current contract in the absence of an extension. That will no doubt lead to speculation about the team’s plans under center, but regardless of who is in place at the quarterback position for the short-term future, Bradbury will be a constant on the offensive line.
NFC North Rumors: Bears, Bradbury, Lions
The Bears made waves recently when they announced the addition of Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren as the new president and CEO in Chicago. The addition resulted in a number of questions about Warren’s responsibilities and how they will compare to those of general manager Ryan Poles. While Poles will report to Warren in the grand scheme of things, the Bears will leave the football aspect of the team to Poles, allowing Warren to focus on business, according to Adam Jahns of The Athletic.
This is similar to Warren’s past roles in the NFL, specifically his time in Minnesota as chief operating officer. Warren worked hand-in-hand with former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman for several years before Warren moved on to the Big Ten. Spielman told Jahns that he operated with Warren in a similar manner to how the Bears plan to operate, with Spielman focused on football and Warren on business. The only difference in Chicago is that, while Spielman and Warren both reported to Vikings’ ownership, Poles is now reporting directly to Warren.
Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC North concerning some likely offseason transactions:
- Vikings center Garrett Bradbury struggled as a first-round selection up until this season. In his first three years of NFL football, Bradbury’s best season in 2020 saw him rank 25th out of 36 graded centers, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The other two years saw Bradbury rank 28th in 2019 and 29th in 2021, leading to Minnesota declining his fifth-year option heading into this season. After a hot start to the season that considerably raised his stock as a pending free agent, Bradbury iterated that he loved his team and preferred to stay in Minnesota. Three and a half months later and Bradbury finished off his hot season for a career year that saw him rank 11th out of 38 graded centers. With free agency on the horizon, Bradbury was asked again and, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, he reiterated his desires to re-sign with the team that drafted him.
- Unlike Bradbury, Lions guard Jonah Jackson is fully locked into his starting position at left guard heading into his contract year. If he has his way, though, the 25-year-old won’t even sniff free agency. Jackson told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that he is fully open to remaining with the Lions long-term. “I would retire in Detroit,” Jackson said. “I would love to be a Lion forever. I love the city.” Jackson isn’t expected to earn a top guard contract but still may fetch a significant deal worth $13-15MM. He made sure to clarify that if it doesn’t happen, he doesn’t intend to hold out. “If it doesn’t (happen), I’m the same guy, the same 73 who showed up for work every day from COVID Year 1 to now…If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
- Another player who is getting ahead of free agency, Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney signed with a new agency in advance of potential contract extension negotiations, according to the official Twitter account of Athletes First sports agency. Mooney came back down to reality this year after a stellar 2021 season, partially due to injuries that kept him out of the final five games of the season. Mooney still has the ability to be a 1,000-yard receiver like he was a year ago and should benefit from another year of experience and improvement for quarterback Justin Fields. Taking action with his representation could indicate that Mooney is ready to start working towards a long-term extension before a contract year next season.