The Chicago Bears made a handful of free agent signings last offseason to help improve the roster. The front office made some major moves, while others were not as successful as they would have liked it to be. Whether it be because of injury, age, or a mixture of things, the Bears had one free agent who struggled in his first season in Chicago. Let’s take a deeper dive into who it is and what they did during the 2025 season.
Grady Jarrett is considered to be the Chicago Bears’ worst free agent signing in 2025
Jan 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Grady Jarrett (50) celebrates after a sack against the Detroit Lions during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker wrote an article describing each team’s best and worst free agent from last offseason. For Chicago, he listed defensive end Grady Jarrett as the team’s worst signing. Below is the snippet he wrote about it:
“On the flip side, Chicago’s defensive line underperformed this season — and the addition of Jarrett didn’t pan out. Dalman’s teammate in Atlanta was signed to a three-year, $43.5 million deal but produced a 56.9 overall PFF grade, including a 41.9 PFF run-defense mark.”
Jarrett signed with the Bears following his first 10 seasons being with the Atlanta Falcons. This season, he was limited to 14 games (four starts) and recorded 39 total tackles (14 solo, 25 assisted) with 1.5 sacks and three pass deflections. With Chicago running a 4-2 base defense, they need to find ways to establish pressure in the trenches. With the team deciding to make him come off the bench and possibly being a cap casualty, 2026 is a chance for him to get back on track. The Bears’ biggest weakness was on the defensive line, so seeing the veteran defensive end take a step back to his former All-Pro self, it would be a significant boost for the team next season.
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