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Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds spotlighted in NFL overpaid rankings

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 10:22 AM ET

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has done a commendable job rebuilding the team's roster since taking over as the franchise's most important decision maker in 2022. But if one transaction stands out as a sizable miss, it's the signing of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

Edmunds joined the Bears on a massive four-year, $72 million contract in 2023. He was lauded as the next in line of great linebackers who manned the middle of the defense at Soldier Field. And while he's been OK, his on-field play has made it difficult to justify his payday.

In fact, he's been so underwhelming that he was dubbed the NFL's most overpaid linebacker.

"Annual salary is the only place you’ll see Edmunds compared to Warner," Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport wrote. "Edmunds is what he is: a good-but-not-great linebacker who is wildly overpaid. His pact was a bad contract when it was signed. It hasn't aged well, either. But at least the Bears can get out of it in 2026 with a relatively minimal dead cap hit."

Davenport is spot-on. Edmunds is fine; the Bears could do a lot worse than him as their starting middle linebacker. However, they could also get similar production from a much cheaper option.

Edmunds finished the 2024 seaso with 110 tackles, one sack, and one interception. He's totaled 223 tackles over his two seasons in Chicago. His eight total tackles for loss is the lowest two-season output of his career.

Edmunds has a chance to make good on his $18 million per year salary under new defensive coordiantor Dennis Allen in 2025. He pretty much has to, otherwise, he'll rank atop the most likely Chicago Bears salary cap cuts next offseason.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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